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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23468110">You're Safe Now Flower Kid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat'>Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gay Haven Habitat [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Smile For Me (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abuse, Child Abuse, Familial Relationships, Flashbacks, Found Family, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Night Terrors, Nonbinary Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Selectively Mute Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:42:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23468110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Habitat, out in the middle of the mountains, has been repurposed! No longer a self help facility, but rather a safe haven for the LGBT community of the small town that sits in the valley below. You'd be surprised how many people have returned. But when Flower Kid returns, the Habiticians may be in for a longer haul than they thought.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr. Boris Habit &amp; Putunia Mollar, Dr. Boris Habit &amp; Tim Tam, Flower Kid &amp; Dr. Boris Habit, Kamal Bora &amp; Flower Kid, Kamal Bora &amp; Putunia Mollar, Kamal Bora &amp; Tim Tam, Kamal Bora/Dr. Boris Habit, Lulia Fame/Jerafina Tabouli, Mirphy Fotoparat &amp; Dallas Smuth, Nat Vancey &amp; Trencil Varnnia, Parsley Botch &amp; Jerafina Tabouli, Parsley Botch/Original Male Character, Putunia Mollar &amp; Tim Tam, Questionette/Borbra Luddington, Randy Hapukurk/Gillis Socco, Trencil Varnnia &amp; Dr. Boris Habit, Trevor Garbo &amp; Nat Vancey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gay Haven Habitat [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Welcome Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I made a little post on tumblr about the Habitat being turned into a gay haven post game and...it snowballed. Like crazy. So! We're gonna give a multichapter fic a try! Hopefully I'll be able to finish this one! I may set up an update schedule to help me with this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Welcome to the Habitat!” A cheerful voice called. Flower Kid smiled at the voice, it was very familiar to them by now. They stood just inside the huge doors, waiting for the person the voice belonged to to come forward. “I am assuming because of how late you are that…” the voice trailed off as Boris Habit came into view. “...Flower?” They waved awkwardly. “What are you doing here?” </p><p>They tried to sign to explain to him, but his knowledge of sign language was still pretty small, and their hands were shaking too bad for them to effectively communicate. Somewhere in the middle of it, they began to cry. Habit shushed them and carefully put a hand on their shoulder. They clung to his coat and sobbed, and he let them hold onto him for a very long time. After a while, he carefully scooped them up and carried them through to the apartments. “I have not changed your place. I thought you might be coming back...do not worry, Dallas’s painting is still there. Perhaps you will see him tomorrow.” </p><p>He carefully set Flower Kid down in the bed, and turned to leave. They quickly latched onto his coat though, and he came over to sit beside them. He was grateful that he’d gotten rid of the old bed in here. He had liked the idea of a talking bed, but it hadn’t been at all appropriate. He began to run his fingers through their hair, making sure to be gentle since his nails were quite long and sharp. They clung to his coat, until their hands finally relaxed as they fell asleep. He knelt down and kissed their forehead. </p><p>“It is alright little flower. You are safe here.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey.” Flower Kid rolled over in their sleep. “Hey.” They groaned and swatted in the direction of whatever was making all the noise. “Hey!” They jerked upright when something hit them in the forehead. They looked around quickly, and saw someone standing in the doorway. They rubbed at their eyes and prepared themself for another long day of working in the shop. Except...this wasn’t their room. “It’s rude to ignore people, you know.” They jumped out of bed and rushed to the doorway. “Woah, woah, hey! It’s okay! You’re okay man, calm down!” Someone pushed them back into the room gently. “Habit says you showed up real late last night, so I guess you might’ve been out of it enough to not remember.”</p><p>They stood in their room and looked at Nat Vancey, who was standing in the doorway. If she didn’t look so different, they might have thought this was another dream. She was still short, but she had grown a few inches. Her hair was much shorter, an undercut that was dyed a deep red. Her style was very different, having gone from a sort of pastel goth to a hard punk. Another big thing was that she looked much much happier. </p><p>“You okay now?” She asked. Flower Kid nodded. “Good. Well...hey. It’s good to see you again. It’s been...what, three years?” She smiled. “From what I’ve heard, you haven’t changed much. And you don’t look much different either.” Flower Kid shrugged. “Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” They both chuckled. “So, you heard about this place? Well, I mean, of course you did. You were here the first time. But, you heard about the reopening?” They nodded. “How’d you hear?” They looked down at their hands awkwardly. “Oh! Dad’s been teaching me sign! I might not get all of it but...well, I’ll probably get the gist. Maybe use simple wording.”</p><p>“Habit and I used to talk every week,” they signed. “He told me his plans.” Nat nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, that makes sense! You did help him out a lot,” she said. Flower Kid grinned. “Oh! One more thing before I show you around!” Nat seemed to get nervous for a moment, before smiling again. “I use he/him pronouns now. Same name though!” Flower Kid nodded, and reached out to squeeze Nat’s hands. “Thanks FK. That means a lot.” </p><p>“Oh! I see you are meeting up with old friends!” The two of them turned and saw Habit standing at the top of the stairs. “Good morning Flower Kid! Did you sleep well?” They nodded. “Excellent! Would you like me to show you around?” They nodded again. “Nat, would you like to help?” Nat shrugged.</p><p>“It’s up to FK I think,” he said. Flower Kid took her hand and squeezed it tightly. He smiled kindly at them. “Pretty sure that’s a yes.”</p><p>“Of course!” Habit said, grinning. His smile was so different now. Not only was it genuine, it was missing all those extra teeth. And, the ones that he’d lost all those years ago were gone again too. “I am afraid that I am still quite busy with logistics so...I do not know much about the nuances of the Habitat.” He shrugged. “I will learn today too!” Nat chuckled.</p><p>“Well...the apartments aren’t much different,” Nat said, gesturing around. “Everyone who needs to live here has one. But uh...well, there’s still a curfew, but it isn’t anywhere near as creepy.” Habit chuckled nervously, but both Nat and Flower Kid smiled at him.</p><p>“The curfew is only for the little ones as well! Adults are allowed to stay out as late as they’d like, as long as they do not disturb any children's dreams,” Habit chimed in. Nat nodded. “Would you like to see the terrace before anywhere else?” Flower Kid nodded, and the two Habitcians led them to the terrace. </p><p>It didn’t look too different. The fallen umbrella had been replaced of course, but other than that it looked the same. Flower Kid was a bit surprised that the “Trauma Room” was still there, but they figured they could ask about it in a moment. The only other big change was that there wasn’t a certain nervous dental assistant sitting up in the little caged off area.</p><p>“The terrace is basically the same! The roses are more lively now, that is good,” Habit said.” It is still just a place to relax! Although it is no longer a place to think about not existing.” Nat chuckled.</p><p>“You really don’t know the nuances, huh?” He asked. Habit turned to him with a confused look. “The terrace is for couples.” He said, turning to shake Flower Kid’s hand. “I mean, not officially. And there’s tons of people who still come up here alone. But like...if you’re gonna catch anyone making out, it’s gonna be up here.” Flower Kid giggled as Habit turned red. “There’s the other big change too.”</p><p>“O-oh! Yes! That is...yes, this is different,” Habit said, leading the two of them over to the “Trauma Room”. “We have repurposed the slideshow to be for creative purposes!” He said, gesturing excitedly to the little room. Flower Kid stepped inside, and grinned at the far wall.</p><p>It was filled with a beautiful photograph of the mountains around the Habitat. They pushed the button and watched as it changed to a beautiful painting of a group of people standing in the courtyard. They recognized quite a few of them. The next slide was a lot of words, which they discerned to be a poem. They decided not to put the tour on hold by reading it all, but made a mental note to come back later. More paintings, more photographs, more writing, a few photo collages, a whole bunch of art. They couldn’t help grinning as they eventually made it back to the original photo of the mountains. They turned back to the doorway and found Habit and Nat smiling at them. </p><p>“It’s pretty cool, huh?” Nat said. They nodded. “Yeah, a lot of the sad stuff around here has been repurposed to be creative and cool. Somebody’s actually full of good ideas.” He turned to punch Habit’s arm teasingly, and he chuckled. </p><p>“There is more to see of course!” Habit said. “Would you like to see the courtyard? I don’t think you got a good look last night…” Flower Kid nodded. “Come along then!”</p><p>They followed the two Habiticians down the stairs, all the way into the courtyard. It had changed a lot, and they weren’t exactly sure how they had missed all of it last night. The floor was no longer concrete, instead it was almost like an open field. An open field filled with flowers. There was everything from morningblossums to daffodils. The thing that made them most excited though was the small patch of tooth lilies. They rushed over to the patch, and almost tripped over someone in their haste.</p><p>“Oh dear...are you alright?” Trencil asked, standing and making himself known. He had been shaded by a large patch of sunflowers. “Oh, it is you! What a surprise!”</p><p>“Hey Dad,” Nat said, coming over to the two of them. “Flower Kid showed up last night and Habit and I have been showing them around.” Trencil nodded, and absentmindedly reached out to ruffle Nat’s hair. Flower Kid grinned as Nat let it happen with only a good natured eye roll. </p><p>“Well, I apologize for whatever caused you to have to stay here, but I am sure we are all very glad that you are here,” Trencil said. Flower Kid nodded, their smile wavering just a little. “I assume you will be joining Boris and I for gardening?” They nodded again, and Trencil smiled. “Excellent. I look forward to it.” </p><p>“Good afternoon Trencil!” Habit said, coming up behind him and wrapping him in a hug so large Trencil’s feet were off the ground. Flower Kid winced, expecting Trencil to react negatively. Instead, he began to laugh and turned to hug Habit in return. Flower Kid gawked at the two of them for a moment, before Nat punched their arm gently.</p><p>“Dude, you’re gonna catch flies,” he said. Flower Kid shut their mouth, but turned to Nat and signed a quick “what the fuck?”. “Yeah, the two of them get along really good now. They’re platonic partners and everything.” Flower Kid nodded absently, just staring at the two older men chattering. “You want me to show you around the rest of the courtyard while they catch up?” Flower Kid nodded again, and Nat took their hand again. </p><p>“Okay, so, most of the place is a community garden. Everyone’s got a plot set up, but most of us don’t use them. I’ve got a few flowers, and there’s a whole section for edible stuff, but other than that it’s mostly Dad and Habit. I’m sure they’ll find plenty of space for you too,” he said. Flower Kid nodded as they looked around and took in all the flowers. “Uh...honestly? That’s it here.” Nat chuckled. “The garden sometimes gets half destroyed though, so leave any delicate flowers for your flowerbox up in your room.” Nat led them through the rows and the two of them traded flower facts they knew.</p><p>“Um...here’s mine. It’s...it’s not much,” Nat said when they reached a small corner of the garden. It was filled with noonblooms and duskflowers. There were a few hyacinths as well, and Flower Kid couldn’t help grinning at them. “Yeah, Dad helped me plant them, and yeah, he told me what they mean,” Nat said. He was smiling slightly. “Don’t tell any of the others though.” Flower Kid crossed their heart and pretended to zip their lips. Nat laughed, and the sound seemed to snap the other two in the courtyard out of their conversation. </p><p>“Oh! I am so sorry, I got distracted from the tour!” Habit said. Trencil smiled at him. He whispered something, and stood on his toes to kiss Habit’s cheek. Habit giggled, before coming over to Nat and Flower Kid. “Where to next?” </p><p>“The carnival,” Flower Kid signed. Habit smiled.</p><p>“It is no longer called that, but, yes!” He said. He took their free hand, and the three of them headed over to the iron gates. Flower Kid turned to grin at Trencil, and he waved at them as they went through the gates. </p><p>The carnival was definitely different as well. The games were gone, and with them, the Carlas. Flower Kid found they were a bit upset by that. Many would’ve found the Carlas creepy, but they had rather liked them. Still, it didn’t stop them from looking around. There was a large stage in the back, where Parsley used to hang out. It looked to have a fully equipped sound system, which made sense. The Habitat did have all the old PSAs before. The rest of the carnival was filled with small bits for various hobbies. Under the tree, there was a little nook of desks, presumably for writing. Next to it there were a bunch of easels. Over where the fortune telling tent used to be was a few punching bags. There was some gym equipment where Whack-a-Mollar used to be. The biggest differences though were that Martha and Habit’s tower were gone.</p><p>“Welcome to the recreational area!” Habit said. He gestured broadly at everything. “We have many things set up, everything from writing to theater! You can take your pick of what you’d like to do!” </p><p>“A bit later though. I think right now we should keep having the tour,” Nat said. Flower Kid let go of his hand though, and pointed over to the tree. They had noticed someone familiar over there with their face in a journal. “Oh. Sure, go say hi,” Nat said. Flower Kid rushed over and practically tackled Randy. He screamed, but began to laugh when he realized who it was.</p><p>“Hello Flower Child!” He said, wrapping his arms around them. They grinned and hugged him tightly. “It is wonderful to see you! I had heard whispers that you were here, but I am never too sure what to believe with all the gossips here.” He chuckled as Flower Kid let him sit up again.</p><p>“Everything okay babe?” A voice called from a ways off. Flower Kid turned and waved excitedly at Gillis. “Oh! Hey Flower Kid!” He came jogging over from the gym equipment. “How’s it hanging?” They gave him a thumbs up. “Sick!”</p><p>“Not to interrupt you guys, but we were kinda in the middle of a tour,” Nat said, coming over to them. Habit hung back, and Flower Kid realized that Randy was looking at him suspiciously. They gently pat his cheek, and he turned his attention back to them. He sighed quietly. “They’re right Randy,” Nat said. “He’s not as bad as you seem to think.”</p><p>“I suppose I hold a bit of a grudge...still, I should be more polite. He is paying for my room and board, after all,” Randy said. Gillis nodded, and moved to sit by Randy.</p><p>“I’m a little sweaty, you might not want to hug me right now FK,” Gillis said. That didn’t stop Randy from kissing him though. Flower Kid pretended to throw up, and Nat laughed.</p><p>“C’mon, let’s leave these love birds to their weird romance,” he said. He helped Flower Kid stand again, and they both made their way back over to Habit. </p><p>“Farewell Flower Hero!” Randy called over his shoulder, before snuggling into Gillis again. Gillis gave the three of them a boy scout salute, which they all returned.</p><p>“People are still calling you a hero, huh?” Nat asked. Flower Kid shrugged. “I’d say let’s check out the longue, but it isn’t open yet. And I’m not allowed inside anyways.” Flower Kid giggled and turned to Boris. </p><p>“The longue is only open from eight to midnight. I am also not allowed inside,” he said. Flower Kid nodded, and took notice of the way he was fidgeting with his hands. “Certain people are not allowed inside for their own health. That would be...me, Parsley, Jerafina, and Mirphy. Any other adult is allowed in. I...well, I hate to make you feel as though you are responsible for these people’s happiness since you’ve already done so much, but we all sort of keep an eye on each other. Would you be willing to do the same?” Flower Kid nodded quickly, and Habit relaxed a little. “Thank you.”</p><p>“All that’s left is the kid’s area,” Nat said. He led Flower Kid towards the old boiler room. </p><p>It was different too. It had been fixed up a lot. The walls were painted a bright yellow, the puddle of sludge was gone, the hole in the wall was gone, and there was some new furniture. The biggest thing they noticed though was that the room was full of kids. </p><p>“Flower Power!” Putunia shouted excitedly and barreled right into them. They laughed as she took them down, and began to ramble rather loudly and excitedly. They squeezed her tightly, and shoved on her shoulder gently. She climbed off of them, still talking excitedly. </p><p>“Hey,” a quiet voice said, and Flower Kid smiled down at Tim Tam. They reached up and grabbed their hand. “Stolen.” They pulled Flower Kid towards the couch that was on the other side of the room. Putunia and Nat followed behind, while Habit stayed in the doorway. </p><p>“I see the ‘no one over twenty’ house rule has been broken,” he said, chuckled. Nat turned and stuck his tongue out at Habit.</p><p>“They’re a kid. Flower Kid. It counts,” he said. Habit just chuckled. </p><p>“You have seen everything now Flower Kid. I am afraid I have to get back to some paperwork, but I am sure I will see you again soon! And I hope you will see and make many friends!” Habit said, waving. Flower Kid waved back, and watched as he left again.</p><p>“Sit.” Flower Kid turned to the couch and sat down at Tim Tam’s command. They noticed that the hole in the wall that had once looked into the lounge had been converted to a small television. There was some cartoon on, and all the kids seemed to be gathered around watching it.</p><p>Flower Kid glanced anxiously at the door that had once led to Habit’s tower. It was no longer a huge locked monolith, but a simple door just like all the others around here. They faintly heard voices on the other side, and they felt a vague sense of horror come over them. They quickly turned to Nat, who was standing on the couch beside them. He looked down at them, and put a hand on their shoulder. He smiled at them slightly, and they tried to return it. </p><p>They still jumped when the door opened. </p><p>“What’re you guys watching?” Trevor asked as he came through the door. Flower Kid turned to Nat with a confused expression.</p><p>“Oh!” He said, before chuckling. “Yeah, that used to lead to the tower...well, now the little room where the elevator used to be is the classroom of the Habitat. Jerafina is the teacher to all the kids that live here.” Flower Kid nodded. They heard an excited gasp before they had a lap full of a teenager.</p><p>“Flower Sleuth! You’re here!” Trevor yelled. He hugged them tightly, and they chuckled. They squeezed him back, before he climbed off them. “What’re you doing here?” Nat reached forward to punch Trevor’s arm, and he rubbed it. “Ow! Hey! What was that for?”</p><p>“Don’t just ask them that dummy!” Nat hissed. Flower Kid stood and put a hand on both of their shoulders. They turned to them, and they tried to smile at the two of them. “Sorry about him FK. He’s still just a dumb puppy.”</p><p>“I am not!” Trevor said. He tackled Nat, who just ended up laughing.</p><p>“Fight!” Putunia yelled. </p><p>Nat and Trevor tussled on the ground, both of them effectively pinning each other at different times. Putunia cheered them on while Tim Tam watched in silence. Flower Kid looked on in distress, but someone quickly came out of the other room and split the two of them up.</p><p>“Alright you two! No more fighting!” Jerafina said, grabbing both of them by the collar. She was smiling, so Flower Kid didn’t think it was too big of a deal. “What was it now?” She asked.</p><p>“Flower Kid is back and-”</p><p>“Flower Kid!” Jerafina dropped the two teens, and they both landed on the ground hard. They both yelled at her, but she didn’t seem to mind, and neither did Flower Kid. They hugged her tightly. “Kid, you’re gonna be so proud of me! I’ve been sober for almost five months!” She pulled away from the hug, and Flower Kid couldn’t help flapping their hands in excitement. “I know! It’s great!”</p><p>“Is Parsley supposed to be here tonight?” Nat asked. Jerafina looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking her head.</p><p>“I don’t think so, no. Although he did have a tough case lately, so he might drop in anyways,” she said. Nat nodded. “I guess we should leave you kids alone, huh? You’ve got a show to watch after all.” Flower Kid nodded.</p><p>“Aw...can’t you stay Flower Power?” Putunia asked, standing to tug on their sleeve. They chuckled and patted her head. “Not even for a little bit?” They shook their head. </p><p>“I bet they wanna go meet up with everyone else,” Nat said. Flower Kid nodded, and Putunia pouted. </p><p>“Will you at least hang out next time you visit?” She asked. </p><p>The room went dead silent. Flower Kid took a few deep breaths, before having to sit on the couch again. They distantly heard people talking, but it wasn’t really registering. They only knew that their hands were shaking and that their vision was blurry with tears. They looked around and didn’t recognize where they were, but they felt an imposing sense of doom. They became faintly aware of some screaming, and then suddenly realized it was their own. </p><p>The last thing that registered before they blacked out was a calm voice with a New York accent.</p>
<hr/><p>“C’mon kid...wake up… I really don’t want to have to take you to a hospital…” Flower Kid groaned at the voice and waved them off. “I know you’re tired, you can go back to sleep in a sec. I just need to make sure you’re okay.” </p><p>They sat up carefully and looked around. Their room...in the Habitat...the tooth lily was gone, all their flowers were gone. It was dark, why were they awake when it was dark?</p><p>“No…” they muttered, suddenly thrashing to try and get up.</p><p>“Hey, hey, none of that,” a gentle voice said, and they felt a hand gently pushing them back onto the bed. “You’re safe here Flower Shmoe. This isn’t the big event. It’s just the Habitat. It’s just you and me and our friends. That sounds nice, right?” Flower Kid nodded and reached for the voice. They could faintly make out the figure talking, and they could tell it wasn’t Habit. The pattern of speech was familiar too, but not Habit’s. “Yeah...you’re safe. Everyone here is safe. I made sure, I wasn’t a coward this time. We’re all safe.”</p><p>Flower Kid drifted off again to the voice telling them they were safe.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Flower Power!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Putunia's not having a good day in this chapter...that's okay! She's resilient!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flower Kid woke up and looked around quickly. They hadn’t dreamed for the first time in a very long time. At first they thought they had, but they were pretty sure that the voice last night was real. There was no one in their room though. There were some voices in the hallway though, hushed and whispering. They carefully stood up and looked themself over. They were going to have to find some more clothes soon… They stepped out of their room and looked around.</p>
<p>“Flower Power!” Putunia ran into them at full force, sobbing into their waist. They shushed her and pet her hair. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you upset! I’m sorry!” They kept petting her, trying to show her that it was okay. Eventually she looked up at them, and they gave her a small smile. She smiled back, and squeezed their waist. </p>
<p>“I think you can give them a bit of space now ‘Nia.” Flower Kid looked up and grinned at Lulia. “It’s good to see you again dear,” she said, giving them a kind smile. Putunia let go of Flower Kid, to go hug Lulia’s legs. “I think it’s almost time for you to get to class, isn’t it?” Putunia pouted. </p>
<p>“But I wanted to hang out with Flower Power!” She yelled. Flower Kid chuckled and shook their head. “Aw, what? Is class really that important?”</p>
<p>“Your dads seem to think so,” Lulia said. Flower Kid felt their heart soar at the phrase. Putunia blew a raspberry. </p>
<p>“Okay...but only cuz I wanna see Ms. Tabouli!” She said. “Bye Flower Power! I’ll see you after class!” </p>
<p>“Give Jerafina my love!” Lulia called over her shoulder as Putunia raced down the stairs. She made a disgusted sound, which made Lulia laugh. She turned back to Flower Kid and smiled at them. “It really is wonderful to see you again. Would you like to come spend the morning with me?” Flower Kid nodded excitedly, and Lulia chuckled. “I imagine that there will be plenty of people looking for you, but I also imagine you’d like to be alone for a little while.” They nodded again, feeling relieved that someone understood. “I still spend a lot of my time on the terrace, despite the couples who like to spend their time there.”</p>
<p>“As if you and Jerafina aren’t one of them,” Flower Kid signed. Lulia blushed and giggled.</p>
<p>“Well...yes. We are. Sometimes.” Flower Kid chuckled. “Let’s just go.” They nodded.</p>
<p>It was nice to sit on the terrace with just Lulia for a while. They talked about a little of everything. How Lulia’s performing was going, what Flower Kid was thinking of planting in the garden, make up, Jerafina, any and everything. By the time Flower Kid left to go see the others, they were feeling much better.</p>
<p>“Flower Child!” Randy ran over to them as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and hugged them tightly. “I heard about what happened yesterday! Are you alright my valiant friend?” They nodded and hugged him back. “Excellent! I am sorry you had to go through such a thing, but I am sure that the doctor will set you up an appointment with someone more qualified to talk about such things.” They looked at him in confusion. “Oh! Habit is paying for anyone who wants it to have therapy! And I think it would be wise for you to go,” Randy said. They nodded absentmindedly. “I am sure there are others you would like to see...I heard that Questionette and Borbra will be arriving soon! I am sure you are excited to see them!” Flower Kid nodded rapidly, and Randy laughed. </p>
<p>They spent about an hour in the garden, Flower Kid looking over the plot that had been cleared for them overnight, and Randy waxing poetic about the beauty of the flowers. Flower Kid learned that Randy and Gillis were living here instead of in the dorms at the local college because of cost, as well as a little fear of being the only gay men in the dorms. They learned that Randy was an English major with a theater minor (no surprise there) and that Gillis was an education major. That one surprised them, but Randy assured them that Gillis was happy, so it didn’t matter too much. After about an hour and a half, the large doors to the Habitat opened, and Borbra and Questionette walked in.</p>
<p>“Oh! Hey kid!” Borbra said, rushing over to the two of them. Questionette wasn’t far behind, and she waved excitedly at Flower Kid. “You decided to join us here, huh?” They nodded. “Great!” Borbra seemed to be sans Rice Pilaf today, but that didn’t appear to have put a damper on her mood. “You look great! Doing better now that you’re here, huh?” Flower Kid shrugged, but they were smiling. “Mixed bag?” They nodded. “Makes sense! The whole place kinda is…” The four of them were silent for a few moments, before Questionette spoke up.</p>
<p>“Hello Fleur Child,” she said. Flower Kid grinned at her, and she grinned back. “It is...good to see you!” </p>
<p>“You’ve come a long way with your English!” Randy said, smiling down at Questionette. She smiled back.</p>
<p>“Merci!” </p>
<p>The four of them spent a while just talking. Questionette and Flower Kid didn’t chime in very often, but they did when they could. Flower Kid found out that Questionette and Borbra were living together, but that they “weren’t romantically involved”. It didn’t take a genius to tell they liked each other though. Randy shot them a knowing look when the two women talked about that, which made Flower Kid chuckle quietly. Questionette also seemed to catch the look and laugh, because she shoved Flower Kid lightly. They stuck their tongue out at her, and soon the two of them were having a silent, friendly, argument. Flower Kid really appreciated that Questionette had such an expressive face, and that she seemed to be able to pick up on their expressions easily as well.</p>
<p>“Flower Power!” An excited yell pierced the air and a little cannonball came running over to the four of them. Flower Kid just barely managed to catch Putunia as she launched herself at them. “I’m finally free! Can you come hang out now?” Flower Kid laughed and glanced at the three other adults. </p>
<p>“Go have fun!” Borbra said. “We’ll see you some other time.” Questionette nodded, and waved, before pointing at herself and then Flower Kid in a, “we’ll continue this later” gesture. They chuckled and waved as well.</p>
<p>“Perhaps I shall see you later Flower Child!” Randy called as Putunia dragged Flower Kid over to the recreational area. </p>
<p>“Alright Flower Power! You’re going to be my sidekick for today! Our villain should be here any minute now!” Putunia yelled. She began to hop up and down excitedly. She still wore her red mask, although her moon cape was long gone by now. Flower Kid was about to sign something to her, when a small figure darted out of the shadows and tackled Putunia. She screamed as she went down. “Sidekick! Save me!”</p>
<p>“What, the powerful Masked Driver can’t take us down herself?” Flower Kid turned to the entrance of the recreational area and saw Trevor. He was standing menacingly (although he wasn’t so good at it) over them, grinning like a madman. “Have you really fallen so low that you have to resort to a pesky sidekick to take us down?”</p>
<p>“I will never surrender to you, Snapdragon!” Putunia yelled. She shoved Tim Tam off of her and yelled as she ran at Trevor. He quickly dodged out of the way and grabbed Flower Kid’s wrist.</p>
<p>“Play along,” he whispered to them, and they chuckled. “If you’re so dependent on your sidekick, why don’t we just take them?” He yelled.</p>
<p>“Stolen,” Tim Tam commented. Flower Kid pretended to struggle in Trevor’s grip, even though they could’ve easily broken it if they wanted. Putunia gasped.</p>
<p>“You fiend! I will strike you down!” She yelled. She raced at them again, and Trevor let go of Flower Kid to roll out of the way. Tim Tam grabbed their hand though, and dragged them over by the desks at the tree. “No! Not the cage! That’s where you guys are supposed to go!” Flower Kid chuckled as Tim Tam sat them down and moved one of the desks in front of them, effectively “trapping” them. “Don’t worry sidekick! I’ll free you!”</p>
<p>Flower Kid watched as Trevor and Putunia battled it out, making various sound effects and generally having fun. From the way he was acting, it was sort of hard to believe that Trevor was sixteen. It was sort of hard to believe that three years had passed since the Big Event, period. Flower Kid glanced up at where the tower should be, but wasn’t anymore. They shuddered when they thought about seeing Habit fall into Martha. It hadn’t been real, just a dream, but it had felt so real. They had had plenty of odd dreams about the Big Event and how it could have gone differently. They were pulled from their thoughts when a small hand patted their cheek.</p>
<p>“Stop,” Tim Tam said. “Brain’s too loud. No thinking.” Flower Kid chuckled and pulled on their arm so they were in the “cage”. “Hey!” It was the first time they’d heard Tim Tam raise their voice, but they knew they were joking. Flower Kid hopped over the desk, and made a beeline for Trevor. He jumped out of the way just in time.</p>
<p>“Way to go Flower Power!” Putunia yelled. </p>
<p>“How did you escape?” Trevor asked. Flower Kid just grinned at him. “No matter! We’ll have you guys locked up in no time! And then the torture can begin!”</p>
<p>“No!” Putunia yelled. “Not the tickling!” </p>
<p>“Oh yes! It is coming!” Trevor shouted. He began to chace Putunia around, while she shrieked in laughter. Flower Kid laughed as well, but yelped when Trevor suddenly turned to them. They ran as he advanced on them, both of them giggling. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry Flower Power! I’ve got you!” Flower Kid didn’t know exactly what happened before they heard a pained yelp. They turned around quickly and found Trevor on the ground and Putunia standing over him. “Oh no! I’m sorry!”</p>
<p>“It’s...it’s okay!” Trevor said, struggling to his feet. Flower Kid went over to help him. “Don’t worry ‘Nia, I’m okay!” Putunia nodded, but she looked a little afraid, and very sad. </p>
<p>“Game over,” Tim Tam said, as they came over. They had shoved the desk away so that they could escape the “cage”. Putunia turned to them and opened her arms. They wordlessly hugged her, and pat her back as she began to cry. They turned to Trevor. “Dads.” Trevor nodded, before running off.</p>
<p>Flower Kid knelt down so they were on the two kids’ level. Tim Tam sort of guided Putunia over to them so she was hugging them instead. Putunia cried into their shoulder, and they squeezed her tightly. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to...I didn’t mean to hurt you Flower Power. I didn’t mean to hurt Trevor...I’m sorry.” Flower Kid shushed her and pet her hair quietly. “I’m sorry…” Flower Kid kissed her head and began to rock slightly. They felt Tim Tam reach out and pat Putunia’s back. She sniffed one last time, before stepping back from the hug. Her tears seemed to have stopped, but she was still clearly upset. “Thank you…”</p>
<p>“Little blossom?” The three of them turned to Habit as he entered the recreational area. “Trevor says that there was an accident while you were playing. Is everything okay?” Putunia rushed over to him, crying all over again. Habit knelt down quickly and picked her up. He listened as she whispered to him, and shushed her comfortingly. “Do you want to go back to our room?” Putunia nodded, and Habit turned to the other three. “I am sorry to cut your play date short, but I think someone needs a break.” Flower Kid, Trevor, and Tim Tam nodded. Habit smiled at them, before turning away. He was still whispering to Putunia as they left.</p>
<p>“Habit is her dad?” Flower Kid signed to Trevor. He nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Habit legally adopted her, and Tim Tam here,” he said. Tim Tam nodded. “They’re too young to be here without their parents, so he just cut out the middle man.” Flower Kid nodded absentmindedly. “As for me...well, Habit managed to trick my parents into thinking this place was all about conversion therapy.” Flower Kid winced, and Trevor chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah...it’s not a pretty scene at home. But I don’t have to go back this way.” </p>
<p>Tim Tam punched Trevor’s knee lightly, and he chuckled. “Yeah, could be worse!” He said. Tim Tam nodded. “Well, I bet you don’t really wanna hang out with a bunch of kids, huh Flower Sleuth? You can go find some others to see, if you want.” Flower Kid shook their head. “Aw c’mon! Jerafina’s done teaching by now, so she and Lulia are probably hanging out on the terrace.”</p>
<p>“Yuck,” Tim Tam said. Trevor laughed.</p>
<p>“Well, yeah, they probably are kissing.” All three of them giggled. “I mean...Parsley’s supposed to be here at some point today! I guess you could hang out with us til he gets here?” Flower Kid nodded.</p>
<p>“Do you have any new theories?” They signed to Trevor. He grinned and Tim Tam rolled their eyes. </p>
<p>“Do I!”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid sat and listened to Trevor’s theories about some of the stuff in the mountains around the Habitat for a very long time. Tim Tam wandered off at some point, but neither of them minded. It was starting to get dark when Trevor finally finished up.</p>
<p>“And that! Is my plan to find Batboy! If I can ever get Nat on board…” Flower Kid chuckled and nodded. “I uh...hey. Can I ask your advice on something?” They looked at him questioningly and nodded. “Um...okay, so...this is kinda hard to say but...I think I have a crush on Nat.” Flower Kid looked at him unamused, and he quickly jumped in to correct himself. “Wait, no, it’s not like that! Just...ugh, hold on, let me explain.</p>
<p>“So...Nat and I actually did date, for a little while. Back in sophomore year we tried the whole...the whole dating thing. But...but he decided that guys weren’t really his thing. He’s a lesbian, and he knows that and I know that and like...I don’t like him romantically? It’s…” Trevor groaned in frustration and pulled on his hair. Flower Kid quickly reached out and took his hands gently. He let them hold his hands for a while. “So...yeah. That’s the story.” Flower Kid let go of his hands, and he looked up at them.</p>
<p>“QPR,” they signed. Trevor’s expression turned confused.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard people say those letters or...or that phrase before. I’ve never really asked before, but...what is it?” Flower Kid pondered for a moment.</p>
<p>“Hard to explain,” they signed. Trevor nodded.</p>
<p>“Can you try?” They nodded as well.</p>
<p>“Life partner,” they signed. “Just...platonic. Not really friends. Not really dating. Mixture of both?” They blew a raspberry. “Hard to explain,” they signed again. Trevor chuckled.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I imagine. Especially since I only caught about two thirds of that,” he said. Flower Kid groaned, but Trevor just pat their shoulder. “It’s okay. Nat’s one of the people I’ve heard it from anyways. I’ll ask him about it. Just...gotta work up some courage.” Flower Kid nodded and stood up. “Curfew’s gonna set in here soon...you’re still allowed up though. It’s a shame Parsley didn’t come sooner...but he’ll still probably be here,” Trevor said. Flower Kid nodded and helped him up. “I’d better get back to the apartments. I’ll see you tomorrow Flower Sleuth!” Trevor ran off towards the apartments, waving over his shoulder. Flower Kid waved at him as he went. </p>
<p>Flower Kid exited the recreational area, and looked around the garden. The duskflowers were thriving in the slowly fading daylight. They walked over to Nat’s patch to look all the flowers over. He really had done a wonderful job planting them all, and it warmed their heart to think that his dad had probably been the one to help him with that. They turned away when they heard the Habitat doors opening.</p>
<p>Jimothan walked in, twirling a key ring on his finger. Flower Kid grinned and ran up to him. He jumped when he saw them, before giving them a huge grin.</p>
<p>“Hey kid!” He said, reaching out to ruffle their hair. They giggled as he did. “It’s good to see you! You’d better have your actual ID this time though, if you’re interested in a drink.” They pulled their wallet from their back pocket and flashed their ID at him. “Nice! Well, I’ve gotta open up shop. Parse will be in in a sec, he’s getting some stuff from his car.” Flower Kid nodded as Jimothan walked over to the lounge.</p>
<p>Somehow that had been the nicest welcome yet. He hadn’t made a big deal about them being here, hadn’t said anything about them staying here, nothing. They wondered for a vague moment if Jimothan even knew he was working in a gay haven, before reminding themself that no one here was really trying to hide it at all. Besides, Habit must have told him.</p>
<p>“Hey Chicken Tender!” Flower Kid grinned as they turned to face Parsley. He was grinning right back, and pat their shoulder when he reached them. “It’s good to see you! How’ve you been?” They gave him a so-so hand gesture. “Yeah, that’s fair. I heard you stumbled in real late a couple nights ago. Hope everything’s alright now.” They shrugged, and he smiled sympathetically. “Hey, it’ll be okay. You’re here now. You’re safe.” They nodded.</p>
<p>“How is lawyering going?” They signed. Parsley shook his head slightly, before returning their so-so hand gesture.</p>
<p>“Just finished a big case. It worked out in my favor, but...well, there were some tough spots,” he said. Flower Kid nodded. “I won’t go into details, don’t worry. It’s probably pretty boring, and some of it’s confidential.” Flower Kid nodded again, and he ruffled their hair. “Anyways, do you have any idea where Jerafina is? I’m supposed to meet up with her tonight.” They shrugged and Parsley swore quietly under his breath. “Well, guess I’ve got to start looking! See you around Chicken Tender!” </p>
<p>Flower Kid watched as he wandered off in the direction of the stairs. They looked around the courtyard one more time. They really wanted to get down and dirty, but they didn’t know of any seeds or anything. They glanced around, but didn’t really see anyone. They sighed and started up the stairs. They weren’t tired yet, but they didn’t have much of an option but to sleep. When they reached the top of the stairs though, they ran into Lulia.</p>
<p>“Oh! Hello again Flower Child,” she said, smiling kindly at them. They smiled back and gave an unenthusiastic wave. “Hard day?” She asked, and they hadn’t realized it was until she said so. They nodded. “Well...drinking isn’t a good way to deal with things, but I suppose one or two couldn’t hurt you. If you’d like to have one with me.” Flower Kid thought for a moment. They weren’t really one for alcohol, but they didn’t mind a social drink every now and then. So, they nodded. “Excellent! And, don’t worry, the nightlife is really where the Habitat opens up.” Flower Kid smiled and led the way down to the lounge.</p>
<p>It hadn’t changed at all. There was no bodyguard now of course, but it was the same otherwise. The same silly posters all over the place, the same jukebox, the same tiny bathroom. They even went to check on the toothpaste in the sink. There were small remnants, but most of it had been washed away. They came back out of the bathroom, and waved at Jimothan.</p>
<p>“Hey kid! You interested in something to drink?” He asked. They nodded and sat on one of the bar stools. Lulia came to sit beside them.</p>
<p>“I’m not looking for anything alcoholic tonight Jim,” she said, before chuckling. “I’m on a mission.” </p>
<p>“Oh?” Jimothan asked, smiling. Lulia got a little more serious, and Flower Kid was suddenly worried. “Oh…” Jimothan nodded, and his expression turned serious. “Well...I guess we’re both on a mission then.” Flower Kid gently tapped Lulia’s shoulder and gave her a confused look.</p>
<p>“Nothing you need to worry about, don’t worry dear,” she said. Flower Kid began to tap their fingers together and kick their feet. “Oh, alright, I should tell you. That was rather worrying, wasn’t it?” Flower Kid nodded. “Well...Parsley’s ex-husband frequents the lounge. Parsley is, luckily, over him. Jerafina is not. Whenever Martin loses a case, he comes in to drink. Jerafina likes someone to keep an eye on him. I’d...actually rather appreciate a helping hand.”</p>
<p>Flower Kid couldn’t stop frowning. Yeah, it sucked that Parsley got divorced, but it wasn’t really Jerafina’s place to spy on his ex. If Parsley was over it, then that was that. They could even understand Jimothan being wary, but this just...didn’t seem right. So, they shook their head. Lulia smiled sheepishly.</p>
<p>“I understand...I’m not exactly the biggest fan of it. But...well, Jerafina and I saw Parsley before he got over Martin and...we just don’t want him to have to go through that again by seeing him,” she said. Flower Kid nodded and felt their irritation fade away. That made a lot more sense.</p>
<p>Jimothan came over with their drinks, and the three of them chatted for a while. Mostly about Parsley, honestly. Jimothan seemed to have really stepped up to the plate about being a better dad. And Lulia lived with Parsley. She, Parsley, and Jerafina all shared a house. Flower Kid just sat back and listened as they both told stories about Parsley. They felt like they learned more about him in that fifteen minutes than they had the whole fifteen days they’d been at the Habitat and actually talked to him. </p>
<p>Jimothan had to leave them behind when the lounge started filling up, and soon Lulia moved off to a table so she wouldn’t be blocking the bar. Flower Kid had a few more alcoholic drinks, so they stayed. They were nursing their third when things started to get really awkward.</p>
<p>“Hey stranger,” someone said, sliding into the bar stool next to them. They smiled politely, before turning back to their drink. “Aw c’mon! What, do you not talk to ridiculously handsome men?” The man laughed, and Flower Kid smiled, much less politely. Sure, they were an adult, but they were only twenty-five, and this guy looked like he was at least in his late thirties, maybe older. “Cat got your tongue?”</p>
<p>“I don’t talk,” they signed. They highly doubted this stranger knew sign language, but the realization that they didn’t talk might get him off their back. Instead, he gasped loudly and grabbed their shoulder.</p>
<p>“You’re not the flower kid, are you?” He asked, shaking them slightly. They tried to pry themself free, and nodded, hoping their answer would get him off. “You’re a helper! Everyone knows that! You’ve gotta help me!” Luckily, he let go, but he leaned over them. “I lost my husband. You’ve gotta help me get him back! He’s real short, got auburn hair, weird red eyes...his name’s Parsley.” </p>
<p>Flower Kid gulped when they realized they were talking to Martin. They shook their head. “What? Why won’t you help me? Isn’t that what you do?” They shook their head again and tried to sign something. It didn’t work, their hands were too shaky. And they were still pretty sure he didn’t know sign. “You’ve gotta help me!”</p>
<p>“Back off Martin!” Flower Kid jumped out of their seat at the yell, but Jimothan put a hand on their shoulder as he came over. “What’re you doing harassing my patrons?”</p>
<p>“Well if you and the purple lady won’t help me with Parsley, who will?” Martin yelled. Lots of people were staring now, and Flower Kid was trying to shrink in on themself. Lulia was making her way over through the crowd, and they reached for her.</p>
<p>“It’s alright dear, let’s get you out of here,” she whispered. She nodded to Jimothan, before leading Flower Kid away.</p>
<p>“Wait! You’ve gotta help me!” Martin yelled. He grabbed Flower Kid’s arm, and they screamed. He pulled away like he’d been burned as they began to sob. “Holy shit! What’d I do?”</p>
<p>“Out! I want you out of here Martin, and I don’t wanna see you back for a long time!” Jimothan yelled. Flower Kid sobbed into Lulia’s shoulder as she led them out. </p>
<p>“It’s okay dear, you’re alright,” Lulia whispered as she led them back to the apartments. She helped them into their room, and they sat in the corner for a while. “Do you want me to leave you alone?” They shook their head violently. “Of course. I’m here with you. You aren’t alone.” She sat next to them, and they leaned against her. She carefully brought her hand up to pet their hair, and they let her. “It’s okay...you’re safe.” </p>
<p>They slowly began to drift off. They were subconsciously aware of someone helping them into bed, and whispering to them. But it wasn’t Lulia’s voice.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid jerked upright in the middle of the night and looked around quickly. The Habitat…</p>
<p>No. The Habitat was safe now. They were safe here. They carefully laid back down and looked around their room. Dallas’s painting was still there. The screen for the PSAs was gone, but that was a comfort at this point. They listened for any laughter outside. They had started doing that after the Habitat the first time, and they didn’t know why. But they were terrified of hearing laughter at night. When they strained their ears, they could hear a quiet noise, coming from right outside their room. But it sounded like singing.</p>
<p>They were too tired to think about that, so they fell asleep again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Olives and Parsley</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Introducing an OC in this chapter! He won't be the last either!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flower Kid woke up the next morning on their own for the first time in a few days. They looked around their room and faintly remembered the singing from last night. When they went into the hallway though, they didn’t see anyone. They sighed and looked down at themself. They resolved to find someone to ask about clothes today, since these ones kind of smelled like alcohol now. They set off down the stairs, looking around for people. </p>
<p>They entered the courtyard, and grinned when they spotted Habit. He was yawning, apparently newly awake. They rushed over to him and waved at him.</p>
<p>“Oh! Hello Flower Child!” He said, smiling wide at them. His smile dropped quickly though. “I heard about what happened last night...I am so sorry. If you see Martin again, please tell me, or one of the other staff. We do not tolerate harassment in the Habitat.” Flower Kid quickly shook their head.</p>
<p>“Not harassment! Just...enthusiasm,” they signed. Habit smiled in a sad sort of way.</p>
<p>“I will forever be grateful that you are a forgiving person, Flower Child, but I think you are a little too forgiving,” he said. They shook their head again. “Alright, but I am sure that Jimothan will stay firm in not letting him into the lounge. And that appears to be the only reason he comes, so he will likely not appear again anytime soon.” They nodded hesitantly. “Now! I had something else to show you!” He offered a hand to them, and they took it. </p>
<p>Habit led them through the courtyard, through the children’s space, and then into the new classroom. They dug their heels in when he entered though. He turned to them with a sad smile. “You are safe Flower Child. I will never, ever, let you be hurt again. By anyone.” They nodded slowly, and let him lead them through the classroom, to where the foundation of the tower used to be. He punched in a code on a number pad (a familiar one that Flower Kid tried to shake from their dreams many nights) and led them into what looked like an office. It was in nice condition, and there were two desks that were facing each other. </p>
<p>“Why two desks?” They signed to Habit. Habit chuckled.</p>
<p>“Silly Flower Child! One for me, and one for Kamal!” Habit said. Flower Kid jumped and began to pull on Habit’s arm excitedly. “Oh! Did I not tell you? Yes, Kamal has forgiven me! He and I…” Habit blushed and looked away from them. “Well...he was a big help in remodeling the Habitat, and he and I still work together.” Flower Kid grinned mischievously, and Habit stopped to look at them sternly. His stern look quickly turned into a grin.</p>
<p>“Okay! Okay, okay, yes! We are together! He is my boyfriend!” Habit gushed. Flower Kid grinned back, and began to jump up and down. Habit joined them after a moment. “He is a total sweetheart! He gets very blushy easily, and he likes to give me hand kisses, and he sometimes rants about things in the cutest way and...I am so lucky!” Flower Kid giggled and squeezed Habit’s hand tightly. “Okay...okay, I still need to show you what I came in here for!” </p>
<p>First they stopped at the taller desk, which Flower Kid could only assume was Habit’s own desk. He opened one of the drawers on it, and pulled out a few seed bags. They gasped and reached for them. He chuckled and handed them off. “Some seeds! They are just some basics, some daisies and noonblooms. But! I can pick you up some new seeds when I go into town! Just tell me what you’d like?” </p>
<p>“Can I think on it?” Flower Kid asked. Boris smiled and nodded.</p>
<p>“Of course! Planning a garden is very hard after all!” He said. Flower Kid smiled at him, and took his hand again as he led them over to a large door. “Okay, just so you know, there is no reason to be overwhelmed! You do not have to make any decisions today!” Flower Kid made a confused sound, before Habit opened the door. They gasped and stepped into the small room.</p>
<p>It was lined wall to wall with clothes of all shapes, sizes and colors. </p>
<p>“We run on a mixture of donations and...well, things from my personal fund,” Habit said. They turned to him with a confused expression. “I received...a lot of inheritance. And I worked as a dentist for many years and used almost none of that money. I have quite a bit saved.” Flower Kid nodded, but they were only half paying attention. They had been distracted by the clothes again. Habit giggled. “Randy just donated some things! I think they are about your size…” He began to sort through the clothes, while Flower Kid looked through some of the boxes on the floor.</p>
<p>They gasped excitedly when they found a pair of rain boots in their size. They quickly toed off their dirty sneakers and pulled the boots on. They were a beautiful bright green with pretty pink spots. They stomped their feet and began to giggle. The sound was good!</p>
<p>“Here we are!” Habit turned around with an assortment of outfits in his arms. Flower Kid grinned and jumped up and down again. “I will close the door while you try these on, yes?” Flower Kid nodded. “Perfect! But, do some show me! I want to see!” Flower Kid shook their head. “Oh? Why not?” They tried to sign, but their hands were full of clothes. They took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Surprise,” they whispered. Habit’s eyes went wide, but only for a moment.</p>
<p>“O-of course! I can’t wait to see what you pick!” He said. He knelt down and hugged them tightly, even though they couldn’t really return it. Flower Kid just leaned against him. He stood again and sniffed quietly. “Well! I will let you get changed!” He turned and closed the door of the room behind him. </p>
<p>Flower Kid tried on everything Habit had handed them, and then some. It all fit them well, and they couldn’t help doing excited twirls in the dresses and skirts. One of the shirts had wonderful poofy sleeves that moved when they did and they flapped their hands when they put it on. Before they knew it they were stimming like crazy, stomping their feet and flapping and shaking their head and making small noises. </p>
<p>Habit heard the sounds from the other side of the door, but he just smiled and went back to organizing his desk. He looked up when the door to the office opened, and smiled bright at Kamal. Kamal held a finger to his lips though, and pointed to the closet door. Habit glanced at it, before looking back at Kamal. </p>
<p>“Flower?” Kamal signed to him. Habit nodded hesitantly. Kamal nodded, looking guilty. “Not yet,” he signed. Habit nodded again, although he felt downtrodden. Kamal gave him a small, sad smile, before he left the office again. Habit began to mess with his desk again, but he felt much more sour now. After a while though, Flower Kid stepped out of the closet again. Their hair was messed up because of all the shaking, and their arms hurt slightly, but it was definitely worth it. Their smile was infectious, because Habit was smiling again in an instant.</p>
<p>“Did you have fun?” He asked. They nodded, still grinning. “Let me see what you picked for today!” They handed the rest of the clothes they’d picked out to him, and posed dramatically in what they’d picked. </p>
<p>It was a dark blue top with small yellow and white stars all over it, paired with a pair of white shorts that had blue and green stars drawn on them with fabric markers. “You look stunning! You are truly a fashion master!” Flower Kid grinned and took the clothes from Habit again. “I think you had better get these back to your room. We do not want to interrupt class, do we?” Flower Kid shook their head. “I will help you! And we will find something to store these in so that they are not on the floor.” Flower Kid grinned up at Habit, and followed him out of the office. </p>
<p>The Habitat was still mostly empty, as it was still really early. Flower Kid almost asked Habit why he was up so early, but held back. It wasn’t really any of their business. Besides, it was probably something like getting paperwork done. The two of them went into Flower Kid’s room, and began to make a small pile. Habit left at one point, and returned with a large box. “It will do for now!” He said. Flower Kid nodded, and began to fold the clothes so they would fit. </p>
<p>At some point, something in the doorway caught their eye. They jerked their head to try and see what it was. Whatever it was darted away though, and when they raced to the doorway to look, there was nothing there. </p>
<p>“Flower Kid?” Habit asked. Flower Kid shook their head.</p>
<p>“Thought I saw something,” they signed. Habit suddenly looked nervous, and Flower Kid frowned. “Did I see something?”</p>
<p>“Not anything important,” Habit said. Flower Kid slapped him with their sleeve. He sighed. “Flower Child, there are people here who are very easily frightened. And...and people here who remember bad times from the first Habitat…” Habit took a deep breath, held it for a moment, before letting it out. “There are people who would like to make themselves known, but are too afraid.” Flower Kid was listening, but they weren’t picking up on what Habit was trying to say. “Listen. You are safe here. You do not need to worry about others who may not be able to say hi yet. They will come to you when they are ready, and I am sure you will welcome them with open arms.”</p>
<p>Flower Kid was silent for a while, before they nodded. Habit smiled at them and picked up the box that was now full of clothes. “Now! Where do you want these?” They pointed to under the floral painting, and Habit moved the box there quickly. They signed a quick “thank you” before shoving him out of the room gently. “Oh! Okay! I...I will see you later Flower Child!” </p>
<p>Flower Kid watched as Habit walked away, and wished there was a door to their room. Why wasn’t there? Every other room had a door...they shook their head and laid down on their bed. They were so glad that Cowboy Bed was gone. He had been...very creepy. They had asked Habit once what the thought there was, and he had shrugged. Luckily, Flower Kid was the only one with a talking bed, which made them very glad, especially if all the beds were like that. There were kids here for goodness sake!</p>
<p>They sat up in bed and looked out the window. The little tree that was outside was in bloom, little flowers around it. It was spring, their favorite season. But...everything felt sour. It wasn’t right somehow. Everything felt wrong. They ran their tongue over their teeth, feeling the gaps in their mouth. Three years later, and their dad still hadn’t gotten around to taking them to the orthodontist to get their mouth fixed. Well...they were an adult, they could’ve done it themself. But…</p>
<p>Flower Kid sighed. Now wasn’t the time to think about all the complications and problems with their relationship with their father. They lay down again, and just looked at the ceiling for a while. They considered going back to sleep, before deciding that it was probably best for them to get up. They stepped out into the hallway, and looked around. Apparently it was time for school to start, because all the kids were rushing out of their apartments. Putunia waved enthusiastically at them, and they grinned back. It seemed that she was feeling a lot better today. Flower Kid followed the kids down the stairs, and stopped in the courtyard.</p>
<p>“Hey! Chicken Tender!” They perked up at Parsley’s voice, and turned to him as he entered the Habitat. “I, uh...I wanted to come say sorry. About Martin and all.” He kicked at the ground and didn't quite meet their eyes. “He uh...he’s got some issues to work through, that’s for sure.” Flower Kid just smiled at him and tapped his shoulder so he’d look at them.</p>
<p>“Not your fault,” they signed. “You’re not responsible for him.” Parsley chuckled.</p>
<p>“Still, I’m sorry. I...I should try to talk to him again.” Flower Kid frowned and shook their head violently. “Yeah...yeah, you’re right. We split for a reason. We talked it out as much as we could. It’s up to him to move on now.” Parsley’s body language became much more confident. “Hey, uh...I’ve got the day off, and I was wondering if you wanted to do something? I still feel real awful about last night, so I thought I’d offer to do something to make it up to you.” Flower Kid winced.</p>
<p>“Like a date?” They signed.</p>
<p>“Oh! Uh...no offense Chicken Tender, but you aren’t really my type…” Parsley said. Flower Kid laughed.</p>
<p>“Was asking cuz I didn’t want it to be,” they signed. Parsley laughed as well.</p>
<p>“Yeah, no. I like you plenty, just not like that.” Flower Kid nodded. “So! You wanna do something? In town I mean.” </p>
<p>Flower Kid froze up for a moment. The shop was in town, their dad was in town. People in town knew them, and they’d ask why they hadn’t been at the shop. They almost shook their head, but a sudden wave of confidence went through them. They could do this! Who cares what other people think or what they ask about? So, they nodded. Parsley grinned. </p>
<p>“Great! Do you have anything you wanna grab before you head out?” They shook their head. “Alright! Let’s go then!” </p>
<p>Flower Kid followed Parsley out of the Habitat, and hopped into the passenger seat of his car. They couldn’t exactly talk to him while he was driving, so they flicked on the radio. A pop song they didn’t really recognize was finishing up, but they didn’t change the station, just in case. There was a brief moment of ads, and they considered changing the channel, before the next song started. They lit up when “Wannabe” started playing. They glanced at Parsley, and found he was grinning too.</p>
<p>Soon enough Parsley was screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs while Flower Kid laughed. They almost sang along, but when they tried, they felt the familiar and comforting feeling of a “glued shut” mouth. So they settled for laughing as Parsley screamed the lyrics. As the song faded out, Parsley began to laugh too.</p>
<p>“Sorry, that’s just me and Jerafina’s song,” he said. Flower Kid looked at him with a confused expression, even though he couldn’t see them. “Oh! Uh...we’re partners. Not, like, romantically? Okay, let me explain, it’s-” Flower Kid rest a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You already know?” They nodded. “Oh thank god…” Parsley chuckled. “Sorry, it just took a good month to get my dad to figure it out, so I’m used to having to explain it to people.” Flower Kid nodded, and squeezed his shoulder one more time before putting their hand in their lap again. </p>
<p>The two of them drove into town as another pop song started. Flower Kid vaguely recognized it, but they didn’t know the name or lyrics. Parsley didn’t seem to either. Parsley pulled up in front of a large white house and parked in the driveway. “Well...this is where we live. Me, Jerafina, and Lulia.” Flower Kid nodded. “One of them told you, huh?” They nodded again. “Nice. Well, we don’t have to go in or anything, I just needed a place to park.” Flower Kid nodded, before the two of them hopped out of the car. “So! Where to?”</p>
<p>“It’s still early...there might not be a lot open. Maybe just the park?” They signed. Parsley nodded.</p>
<p>“Makes sense! Lead the way Chicken Tender!” He said. Flower Kid chuckled and started heading in that direction.</p>
<p>“Why have you been calling me Chicken Tender still?” They signed to Parsley. He blushed a little and kicked at the ground.</p>
<p>“Well...I went to speech therapy for a while about my whole...my whole word mixing up thing. They thought I had aphasia for a while, but there’s no cause they can find, and I don’t have trouble with other types of communication. So...stress and anxiety are most likely the cause?” He laughed. “I dunno...at some point though, speech therapy and normal therapy became too expensive, so I kinda gave up on speech therapy cuz I definitely needed normal therapy more. And...well, ‘Fina says it’s cute. So...I kinda stopped correcting myself. I mean, I’m not leaning into it or anything, but...I dunno. As long as it doesn’t get in the way in court, it’s kinda whatever.” Flower Kid nodded. </p>
<p>“I like it,” they signed. “It’s kind of a cute nickname.” Parsley laughed and reached out to ruffle their hair.</p>
<p>“Yeah! I’m glad you like it! I’d stop if you didn’t.”</p>
<p>“I know.” The two of them walked in silence for a little bit, and Flower Kid was surprised to find that it wasn’t awkward. They didn’t really know a lot of the people at the Habitat well, but so far, conversation and silences had all come easily. They reached the park soon enough, and Flower Kid stopped to look over all the blooming dandelions. Parsley laughed.</p>
<p>“Those are weeds you know,” he said. Flower Kid chuckled but shook their head. “Oh, have I got my flower facts wrong?”</p>
<p>“You’re right, but I don’t think of them as weeds,” Flower Kid signed. “They are too pretty.” Parsley nodded.</p>
<p>“I guess they’re just resilient flowers then,” he said. “Kinda like you.” Flower Kid chuckled and punched his shoulder lightly. “Aw c’mon, learn to take a compliment!” </p>
<p>“Just don’t think you’re right is all,” Flower Kid signed to him. Parsley frowned.</p>
<p>“C’mon kid, anyone can see that you’re a real tough cookie. It takes a special someone to help so many people through their problems, especially with a smile on their face the whole time.” Flower Kid was blushing at all the praise, and they shoved Parsley slightly. “Guess you can’t take a compliment, huh?” Parsley said, chuckling. Flower Kid blew a raspberry at him, and he laughed harder. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop.”</p>
<p>The two of them walked through the park for a while, Flower Kid pointing out any interesting flowers and explaining them and their meanings to Parsley. Parsley paid attention pretty well, although he did get distracted a few times. Flower Kid didn’t mind, because when he did pay attention, he asked questions, which let them talk more about their favorite subject. After a while, Flower Kid realized they hadn’t really eaten in a while, and pulled on Parsley’s arm to get his attention. “Hungry?” He asked, and they nodded. “C’mon, I know this cute place downtown!”</p>
<p>Flower Kid let Parsley lead them downtown, even though their stomach was full of butterflies. Their dad’s shop was downtown, they couldn’t let him see them. Still, they followed behind Parsley. They hesitantly reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. He turned to look at them, confused, before realization dawned on his face. “Don’t worry, this place is pretty far from the flower shop.” Flower Kid nodded, but didn’t let go of his hand.</p>
<p>They arrived quickly enough, and Flower Kid recognized the place. They’d been a few times, but never enough to be a regular. Parsley apparently was though, because one of the waitstaff flagged him down. </p>
<p>“Hey Parse!” She said. “Who’s this?” </p>
<p>“Mary, this is Flower Kid! They just moved into the Habitat!” Parsley said, gesturing to Flower Kid. They waved awkwardly, but Mary grinned at them easily.</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you Kid!” She said. “Well, I should probably be professional and show you guys to a table, huh?”</p>
<p>“Oh c’mon, like your boss minds,” Parsley said. Mary rolled her eyes and grabbed a couple menus and led the two of them to a booth. Flower Kid slid into one side, and Parsley slid into the other. Mary just winked at them, before walking away. “Sorry if she’s a bit much.” Flower Kid shook their head.</p>
<p>“She seems nice!” They signed. Parsley smiled. </p>
<p>“Yeah...she’s pretty great. Met her on a case. She committed some pretty basic stuff, just some vandalism. It was a little worse since it was a government building, but I’m good at my job.” Flower Kid nodded and watched as Parsley got a far off look in his eyes. “He’s...he’s really something,” he said. Flower Kid waved a hand in front of his face, and he snapped back to himself. “Oh! Sorry, sorry, I uh…”</p>
<p>“Is he not out?” Flower Kid signed. Parsley was quiet for a moment, before nodding. Flower Kid smiled. “I will not tell anyone, do not worry.” Parsley smiled.</p>
<p>“Thanks Chicken Tender. You’re the best.”</p>
<p>“Alright you two, what do you want to drink?” Mary asked as she came back over. </p>
<p>“A beer,” Parsley mumbled under his breath. Mary reached out and flicked his forehead. “Ow! I wasn’t ordering one! I was just saying!”</p>
<p>“You better not be,” Mary said. “I will call Jerafina.” Parsley rolled his eyes, but Flower Kid could pick up the underlying fear in his expression. </p>
<p>“Geez, chill Ollie.” Mary’s eyes went wide, and she glanced at Flower Kid in fear. “You’re good. They’re one of us.” Flower Kid smiled kindly at Ollie, and he relaxed.</p>
<p>“You’re a little careless Botch. You’d better whip that into shape soon,” he said. “Now, for real, what do you guys want to drink?”</p>
<p>“Lemonade,” Flower Kid signed. Ollie frowned slightly.</p>
<p>“Oh, you really don’t talk…” he muttered. “Uh, sorry kid, I don’t know sign language.” </p>
<p>“Lemonade for them and coke for me,” Parsley said. Ollie nodded.</p>
<p>“Sorry bud,” he said. “I’ve always meant to learn, but I’ve just never really had the chance.” Flower Kid smiled kindly at him and he relaxed a little. “Well, this’ll be a chance to learn! You and Parse can show me next time I’m at the Habitat! I gotta run for now though, I’ll be right back with your drinks.” He rushed off to another table, and Flower Kid turned to Parsley with a teasing look. He groaned.</p>
<p>“Please don’t. I’ve already got to deal with Jerafina,” he said. </p>
<p>“You like him,” Flower Kid signed. Parsley reached across the table to shove their shoulder.</p>
<p>“So what! He’s cool! He does what he wants, and he always speaks his mind, and he’s really sweet to me and all my friends and…” Parsley trailed off when he realized Flower Kid’s grin was only getting bigger. “Stop that…” he whined. They just reached across the table to pat his arm.</p>
<p>“I won’t tell anyone,” they signed. Parsley smiled but shook his head.</p>
<p>“Pretty much everyone knows. I’d say the only people that don’t would be my dad and Olive himself.” Flower Kid squeaked. “What?”</p>
<p>“You call him Olive?” Parsley turned bright red.</p>
<p>“Shut up!” Flower Kid began to cackle, just as Ollie came back with their drinks.</p>
<p>“Whoa...okay, something big went down here. What’s up? Spill the deets,” he said. </p>
<p>“Parsley likes you,” Flower Kid signed.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Parsley yelled.</p>
<p>“Still didn’t pick up on that, sorry,” Ollie said. Parsley relaxed, but stiffened again when he realized he’d have to make an excuse. “What the deal Parse?”</p>
<p>“They’re just...teasing me over...over a crush,” Parsley mumbled. </p>
<p>Flower Kid took note of the momentary sad expression Ollie held, and tried to keep themself from smiling. It sucked right now, but that was confirmation Ollie liked Parsley back. They could work on that later.</p>
<p>“Well, he better be a damn good guy,” Ollie said, smiling. “You deserve the best Parse.”</p>
<p>“Th-thanks,” Parsley mumbled. He cleared his throat and ordered, then interpreted for Flower Kid’s order. Ollie jotted them down before scampering off. Flower Kid momentarily felt guilty because he didn’t think Parsley liked him now. But Parsley was talking again in a moment. “Do you think I was too obvious?”</p>
<p>“No,” they signed, “and that’s a problem.”</p>
<p>“C’mon Chicken Tender, there’s no way he likes me! He’s way out of my league!” Parsley whisper-shouted. Flower Kid rolled their eyes.</p>
<p>“He likes you. Go for it,” they signed. Parsley sighed. </p>
<p>“It’s not that easy Chicken Tender,” he said. Flower Kid frowned and kicked him under the table. “Ow! What? It really isn’t!” He sighed, clearly aggravated. “Just cuz you don’t get it doesn’t mean you should push others to just do it.” Flower Kid looked down at the table, suddenly feeling hot shame wash over them. “Crap...I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I’m really sorry,” Parsley said. He reached out and, hesitantly, ruffled their hair. They looked up again and managed a small smile. </p>
<p>“Alright gang, here you go!” Ollie came over and handed them both their plates. </p>
<p>“Thanks Olive!” Parsley said. The two of them blushed and looked away from each other. </p>
<p>“No...no prob Parse!” Ollie said. “Sorry, I can’t really stick around. Got a big table that just came in. I’ll see you on Sunday for party day Parse!” Ollie called over his shoulder as he walked off. Flower Kid tipped their head to the side, questioningly.</p>
<p>“Oh! Uh...Ollie comes to the Habitat every Sunday for a party day! It’s something different every week. Or...it used to be? Lately they’ve been…” Parsley paused. “Okay, this is embarrassing, but he’s been DMing a campaign for a few of us at the Habitat. Y’know, Dungeons and Dragons.” Flower Kid’s eyes lit up, and they began to bounce in their seat slightly. “What, you like D&amp;D?”</p>
<p>“Never played, always wanted to,” Flower Kid signed. Parsley chuckled. </p>
<p>“We can talk to Ollie! I’m sure he can write you into the campaign!” Flower Kid flapped their hands for a moment, and Parsley laughed. “You’d better start eating. Grilled cheese isn’t good cold,” Parsley said.</p>
<p>After about a half an hour of eating, Parsley paid and the two of them left. Ollie didn’t have time for more than a quick goodbye, but there had still been blushing. Flower Kid couldn’t help grinning at the two of them, but something had felt off about the whole meal. Something about what Parsley had ordered made them feel sick. They associated it with him for some reason, and that association was not a good one… They brushed it off though, especially when Parsley offered to take them to the local hand scooped ice cream place. </p>
<p>“I’ll pay,” they signed to him. “You paid for lunch, only fair.” </p>
<p>“No way! When’s the last time you had a real job?” He asked. Flower Kid felt even more sick.</p>
<p>“Four days ago,” they signed. Parsley expression fell.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Flower Kid. I know...I know this stuff is hard.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Mom wasn’t pleased when she found out about Dad…” Parsley shook his head. “Ah, you don’t need to hear about that, especially if you’re feeling bad.”</p>
<p>“Jimothan’s not straight?” They signed, their expression clearly shocked. Parsley laughed. </p>
<p>“Nope! He did a lot of soul searching after I came out, said that some of the stuff I described was familiar feeling. So...yeah, he’s not straight.” Parsley grinned. “And I’m not the only Botch dealing with a debilitating crush.” Flower Kid squealed and grabbed his hand to shake his arm. “Whoa, slow down kid!” Parsley said, laughing. “I can give you one hint, but that’s it.” Parsley leaned in close, even though there was no one around who could overhear. “He’s a dad too.”</p>
<p>“Trencil!” Flower Kid signed excitedly, before their hands became preoccupied with flapping. Parsley laughed and nodded.</p>
<p>“Don’t tell my dad I told you though! He’d kill me,” he said. Flower Kid nodded, but it could’ve been misinterpreted as them moving their head rapidly as they stimmed. Parsley grinned at them, and silently joined in the flapping, although that was all he did. “We’re getting close, so you’d better figure out what flavor you want.” Flower Kid nodded again, and calmed their movements down, although their footsteps were still a little heavy so they could hear the rain boots on the concrete. </p>
<p>In the end, Parsley ended up paying, but Flower Kid made him promise to let them pay next time. They stuck with basic chocolate, while Parsley got the house special. Grape pineapple. Just thinking about it made Flower Kid’s stomach queasy, but he seemed to be enjoying it, so it was fine. They made their way back to the park, neither of them talking for a while. It was kind of hard to sign with a cone in your hand. Eventually though, Flower Kid shoved the last of the cone in their mouth, and used the napkin that had been wrapped around it to wipe their hands.</p>
<p>“You liking the Habitat this time around?” Parsley asked. Flower Kid nodded. “Good! I like it a lot better too. Then again, I like my life as a whole a lot more nowadays.” Flower Kid grinned and bumped Parsley’s shoulder with their own. “Thanks for that, by the way. I feel like...I feel like a lot of us didn’t thank you enough.” Flower Kid shrugged.</p>
<p>“I like helping people!” They signed. Parsley frowned slightly.</p>
<p>“You know...you should let people help you in return,” he muttered. Flower Kid looked away from him. “I mean it, Chicken Tender. You...you’ve obviously been through a lot lately. People don’t just move into the Habitat because they want to. If you ever need someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to call me up. I mean...I’m sure Habit’s gonna insist on therapy for you, but sometimes a friend is better.” Flower Kid nodded, and looked up again when Parsley put a hand on their shoulder. “We all love you kid. All the Habiticians love you. You’re safe with us.” Flower Kid smiled and nodded. “Why don’t we get back to the Habitat? Class will be wrapping up soon, and I’m sure Jerafina will wanna see me. I bet she’d be thrilled to see you too.” Flower Kid nodded.</p>
<p>The drive back to the Habitat was filled with more singing, although this time it was much calmer. Apparently, Parsley had a channel saved that was just soothing music. Parsley’s odd voice shouldn’t have been as soothing as it was, but Flower Kid found themself dozing off slightly. They remembered Parsley pulling up in front of the Habitat, but everything after that was a bit blurry. </p>
<p>They felt someone carrying them into their room, and they reached up to stroke their hair. It wasn’t Habit like they thought it was. The hair was wavy, but not Habit’s thick curls. They curled against the person’s chest, and they were squeezed. They were gently placed in bed and they felt a hand running through their hair. They curled up in bed, and a small kiss was placed on their forehead.</p>
<p>“Get some rest, Flower Shmoe. I’ll keep you safe.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Romance? I mean, I guess...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The beginning of this chapter starts to bring the child abuse tag into play, so please be careful...also the ending is accidentally creepy, sorry about that. Word choice is hard...anyways, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re fucking worthless! You piece of shit, if you had just died when you were supposed to, your mother and I would be happy! You disgust me! Get the hell out of my sight! I never want to see you again, you goddamn freak!”</p>
<p>They were running. They didn’t know where for a long time. Just...away. They needed to get away. Their legs were burning as they raced through town, their lungs were burning, but they had to keep going. People would yell at them to slow down, people would beg them to slow down. They wouldn’t. They just ran as fast as they could. The sky was getting dark, everything was getting dark. The world around them was slowly becoming nothing but black. They sprinted as fast as they could and the Habitat came into view. They reached for it’s door just as something grabbed their ankle. They screamed and turned to look.</p>
<p>“Dad!” They yelled. They tried to kick him off, but he gripped their ankle tighter.</p>
<p>“You will never be happy like this. Give up. Come home.” They sobbed as the black surrounded them. The last thing they saw was the Habitat door opening.</p>
<p>Flower Kid jerked awake, almost smacking heads with the person who had been shaking them. The person jumped away. Flower Kid’s vision was blurry from the tears in their eyes, but they could faintly make out the person. About average height, long black hair, wearing some simple and comfortable clothes. They tried to sign to them, asking them not to leave, but their hands were shaking too bad. Besides, the person raced out of their room before they would have been able to sign anything. They reached for the person as they raced off, and let out a loud shriek.</p>
<p>They sat in bed and sobbed for a while, before someone came to their door. They still couldn’t make out figures, but they reached for whoever it was right away.</p>
<p>“Crikey! Are you alright?” Mirphy rushed over to them and sat on the bed with them. “Hey...hey, look at me,” she whispered. Flower Kid tried to, but their eyes were too tearful. Mirphy slowly reached out, but they flinched away. “No touching...okay, that’s okay.” </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Flower Kid flinched away from the voice. It was deeper, not as feminine, too much like their dad. “Whoa, Flower Child, are you okay?” They sobbed and leaned away from the doorway. </p>
<p>“Dallas, I think you’re making it worse,” Mirphy said. “Wait outside, make sure no one else comes in.” Dallas didn’t speak again, and he moved out of their doorway. “Can you tell me what happened?” Flower Kid shook their head. Even if they could sign, they didn’t want to tell anyone. “That’s okay. So...no touching and no talking. What can I do to help you?” Flower Kid pointed at the door and shook their head. “Don’t leave?” They nodded. “I can do that.”</p>
<p>The two of them sat in silence while Flower Kid sobbed into their hands. At some point, they reached out and grabbed Mirphy’s wrist. They pressed her hand onto the top of their head, and she began to run her fingers through their hair. Their breathing began to even out, and Mirphy began to whisper comforting things to them. They couldn’t focus on the words well enough to make them out, but the tone of her voice was soothing. Eventually their hands stopped shaking enough for them to sign.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” they signed. They looked up at Mirphy and gave her a small smile. She reached out to wipe their tears away, and they got a better look at her. “You cut your hair!” She laughed.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome, first of all,” she said. Flower Kid was momentarily scared that she’d ask them to talk about it, but she seemed to latch onto the new topic easily enough. “I did! A couple years ago I tried a bob, but I think a pixie cut is more my style.”</p>
<p>Flower Kid hesitantly reached up, and Mirphy bent over so they could feel her hair. They giggled, and Mirphy laughed again. “You feeling alright now?” They nodded. “Good. Anytime I’m here, you’re welcome to come find me and talk. But only if you want.” They nodded again. “You good to get out of bed?” Instead of answering, Flower Kid got out of bed. Mirphy followed them, but they carefully shoved her towards the door. “What’s up?” </p>
<p>“Need to change,” they signed. Mirphy nodded. She stepped out of the room, and Flower Kid dug through the box with their clothes. </p>
<p>They pulled out a red skirt with white polka dots, and a yellow tank top. They pulled them both on quickly, and their rain boots as well. They hesitated by the box with their clothes, but pulled out a blue pull on hoodie. They pulled it over their head, and instantly felt more comfortable. The weight of it was comforting, but it wasn’t too heavy, and the pocket in the front was deep. They almost stepped out of the room, but they heard Mirphy and Dallas talking in the hallway.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Dallas asked.</p>
<p>“Well...Kamal ran into me as he was racing through the courtyard. He said something about having to find Habit cuz of Flower Kid. I figured they were probably still in the same room, so I went to check on them. They were panicking something awful.”</p>
<p>Kamal was the one in their room? Why hadn’t he stayed? They didn’t have time to dwell on it when there was the fast clicking of heels rushing through the hallway.</p>
<p>“Mirphy! Dallas! Is Flower Kid alright?” Habit asked. They carefully stepped into the hallway. Habit sighed in relief, and went to hug them. They zipped behind Mirphy so he wouldn’t touch them. They saw guilt flash across his face, but it was short lived. “Flower Kid, I am so glad you’re alright! Well...better at least.” They gave him a small smile and nodded. “Would you like me to leave you alone?” Flower Kid thought for a long moment, before nodding. They gave Habit a sheepish smile, but he just gave a genuine one back. “Of course! I hope that you three have fun!” Habit turned back to the stairs, and began to descend them. </p>
<p>“Real different dude, isn’t he?” Dallas commented. Flower Kid nodded. There was an odd feeling in the back of their mind when he spoke, but it didn’t bother them enough to have to leave. Habit…. They shook their head to try and dispel the thoughts. “Hey duder. How’ve you been?” Flower Kid carefully stepped out from behind Mirphy. </p>
<p>“Not so good,” they signed, trying to be honest. Dallas frowned.</p>
<p>“Any way we can help?” He asked. Flower Kid was quiet for a moment, before taking his hand and leading him into their room. They pointed at his painting on the wall. “Oh my gosh...you’re the one who liked that painting!” They turned to grin at him, and it came easy seeing how happy he looked. “Can I hug you?” Flower Kid nodded, and next thing they knew they were being lifted off the ground. They laughed as Dallas swung them around, and they heard Mirphy laughing from the doorway. “You’re the best Flower Child ever!” Dallas set them down, and they took his hand to squeeze it. “Can I show you my newest piece?” They nodded excitedly.</p>
<p>Dallas led them down the stairs, and they could hear Mirphy following behind them. The dawnblossoms were thriving, so Flower Kid knew they hadn’t slept too late. There was an easel set up in the far corner of the courtyard, where Trencil used to stand years ago. Dallas walked over to it, and Flower Kid followed. They noted Mirphy hung back a bit. </p>
<p>“Ta-da!” Dallas said, turning the canvas around. There was an unfinished painting on it, depicting half the courtyard. Trencil was sitting in the middle of it, and he had clearly turned to Dallas while he was painting. “It’s nice to see him on paper, huh? The photographs don’t exactly work…” Flower Kid giggled. “I’ve been trying to find a time to come in the morning to get the flowers right...but I see that a patch is missing. That wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with you, would it dudette?” Flower Kid smiled sheepishly. “No worries! I’ll just paint that in! No big deal.”</p>
<p>There was a sudden clicking of a camera, and Flower Kid turned around. Mirphy had pulled a camera from a satchel she had. Flower Kid hadn’t even noticed it. Mirphy looked over the camera to grin at the two of them. Flower Kid grinned back and posed dramatically. Mirphy laughed and began to snap more photos. </p>
<p>“Work it kid!” She yelled. After a moment, Dallas joined in the dramatic posing, and soon the three of them were laughing hard. Sometimes a distraction is all you need.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid sat in the courtyard for a while, just looking over their new plot of land. They still had the seeds that Habit had given them, but they were hesitant to put them in. They wanted to have the whole place plotted out before they began to plant. They were frequently called away anyways. Mirphy wanted to take pictures of them now that they were back. She seemed disappointed that they didn’t have her old camera, but she promised to bring another old one next time she visited so they could take pictures again. </p>
<p>She was taking another round of pictures of them, surrounded by the sunflowers when a couple things happened at once. From the back, the kids came running out, and the Habitat doors opened. Nat, Trencil, and Jimothan all stepped in. Nat made a beeline for Trevor, jumping on his back. He laughed but managed to keep Nat on his shoulders. Putunia dodged around the tooth lilies (effectively destroying a small plot of forget me nots) and barreled into Flower Kid just as Mirphy snapped a picture.</p>
<p>“Hmm…” Mirphy said, looking the picture over. “Well...it’s not still life. But I like it! Thanks Tunes!”</p>
<p>“No problem!” Putunia said, from her place on top of Flower Kid. Flower Kid groaned from where they’d been tackled in the gut, and sat up to look around. </p>
<p>Nat was still riding around on Trevor’s back, and Tim Tam seemed to be following the two of them around, trying to pull Nat off by tugging on his leg. Flower Kid giggled, but turned to a shadow that fell over them. </p>
<p>“Hey kid!” Jimothan said, reaching down to ruffle their hair. They grinned at him. Anything about voices left over from that morning was gone. “I see someone decided to make you into a chair.” He chuckled and Putunia jumped off them.</p>
<p>“How’s Uncle Parsley?” Putunia asked, coming over to tug on Jimothan’s arm. Trencil offered a hand to Flower Kid as Jimothan replied.</p>
<p>“Parse is good! He and Jerafina have been doing good. He’s still busy, which is why he’s only been coming at night.” Putunia pouted. </p>
<p>“I wanna see him!” She yelled. </p>
<p>“He’ll be here on Sunday!” Jimothan said. “You can see him and hug him all you want then, okay?” Putunia thought that over for a minute, before nodding. </p>
<p>“They’re a bit similar, wouldn’t you say?” Trencil whispered to Flower Kid, gesturing to Jimothan and Putunia. Flower Kid giggled and nodded. “Well, I hope Putunia doesn’t mind me pulling you aside for a moment.” Flower Kid frowned and turned to him fully. </p>
<p>“What’s up?” They signed to him.</p>
<p>“Flower Power! Are you going to come play?” Putunia asked.</p>
<p>“I think they’re a little busy ‘Nia,” Jimothan said. “Why don’t you go play with Tim Tam? I think they need a little help pulling Nat off of Trevor.” Putunia pouted again, but she nodded.</p>
<p>“You’ll come play later, right Flower Power?” Flower Kid grinned and flashed her a thumbs up. She seemed satisfied with that, and ran over to her friends to play with them. Trencil led Flower Kid over to the far corner, away from everyone.</p>
<p>“Boris called me in the middle of the day. He asked if I could check on you, since you seemed to not want to see him,” he said. Flower Kid felt a little guilty and looked away in shame. “There is no need for that.” Trencil rest a hand on their shoulder. “Boris understands that you will not always be able to talk to him. He is not upset with you. He merely wants to make sure you are alright.”</p>
<p>Flower Kid looked at Trencil for a long moment. He was certainly someone they had seen often in the past three years. He came into their dad’s shop very often, for seed and buds and flowers. He wasn’t really one for small talk, but he always had time for a few words with them. Whenever he talked to their dad, he had been rather short worded. Flower Kid thought he might have a suspicion about what happened. </p>
<p>So they should’ve been able to tell him.</p>
<p>But they couldn’t.</p>
<p>“Nightmare about the first one,” they signed. “Habit scared me a little. I’m okay now. Wouldn’t mind seeing him.” Trencil frowned, and they shrunk in on themself. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” they signed, panicking slightly.</p>
<p>“No! No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for!” He quickly said. “I...I understand that you are not ready to talk about what happened. And I understand the feeling of needing to lie. I am not upset.” Flower Kid nodded. Trencil carefully took their hand, and squeezed it three times. They smiled at that. The silent “I love you” they had taught to Habit. Habit must have taught it to Trencil. “You do not have to tell me. Or anyone else. But please do not feel like you have to lie. I would not have pushed.” They nodded. “Do you mind if I go to tell Boris you are feeling better?” They shook their head. Trencil turned back to the courtyard and chuckled. “Make sure that Nat and Jimothan don’t get into too much trouble for me.” Flower Kid laughed and nodded.</p>
<p>They watched as Trencil went down the hallway towards Habit’s office, before turning back to the courtyard. They grinned when they saw Mirphy and Jimothan talking. Dallas was still painting in the corner, and the kids had moved to the recreational area to play. They were about to join them, when someone caught their eye. </p>
<p>Gillis and Jerafina were coming out of the hallway, chatting with each other. That surprised Flower Kid a bit, before they remembered that Gillis was getting a degree in education. He was probably helping Jerafina with teaching. As soon as he spotted them though, he rushed to them.</p>
<p>“Flower Kid!” He called. Jerafina laughed as he abandoned their conversation, but she didn’t seem to mind. She wandered off to Dallas and Gillis came over to them. “Flower Kid, you’ve got to help me!” They tilted their head to the side in a silent question. “Okay, so...Randy and I’s two year anniversary is coming up, and I totally forgot! You’ve gotta help me figure out what to get him!” Flower Kid frowned. </p>
<p>“I don’t know much about romance,” they signed to him.</p>
<p>“Really? I would’ve figured you were a romance master. You’re so sweet and stuff.” Flower Kid chuckled, flattered.</p>
<p>“Maybe I’d be good at it, but I have no interest in it,” they signed. “Aro.” Gillis’s mouth formed an o shape and he nodded.</p>
<p>“Alright, that makes sense! Sorry for assuming then…” he muttered. “I guess I should ask someone else, huh?” Flower Kid patted his arm.</p>
<p>“I can try!” They signed. Gillis smiled hesitantly.</p>
<p>“Well, if you really want!” He said. They nodded, and thought for a second.</p>
<p>“Candles are romantic, and they come in all kinds of smells,” they signed. “Maybe flowers? I can give you ones with good meanings!” Gillis lit up.</p>
<p>“Yes! Randy loves flower language!” He said. Flower Kid grinned and jumped up and down in place.</p>
<p>“Heliotrope is good! It means devotion,” they signed. Gillis began to blush, and they giggled. “Red salvia means ‘forever mine’, which might be a bit much? But I think at two years it’s appropriate.” Gillis went bright red, but he nodded. “Spearmint means ‘warmth of sentiment’, and it’s very fragrant. Sounds perfect for Randy!” They thought for another moment. “Violets have lots of meaning, and they are all good. And red roses are a staple!” They considered bringing up myrtle, and the thought made them giggle, but they figured it was a bit much. “That’s red and purples with a little accent of white! I think that’s good!” </p>
<p>“Flower Kid, you are a lifesaver,” Gillis said. He scooped them up in a big hug, and they wrapped their arms around his neck in return. He squeezed them tightly, and they temporarily had the wind knocked out of them.</p>
<p>“Easy on the flowers Gillis!” Jimothan called, which made them both laugh. Gillis set them down, before glancing in the direction of the recreational area.</p>
<p>“Wanna give those kids a real challenge?” He asked. Flower Kid grinned.</p>
<p>“What did you have in mind?”</p>
<p>“Let’s see if they can knock you off my shoulders,” he said. Flower Kid clapped in excitement, and went around him to jump on his back. “Hey wimps!” Gillis yelled as he raced into the recreational area. All the kids turned to look at him and Flower Kid. “Ready for a real challenge? Tip the flower!”</p>
<p>“You’re on!” Putunia yelled, already making a beeline for them. Flower Kid laughed loudly and held onto Gillis’s shoulders tightly.</p>
<p>Unbeknownst to them, a couple people were watching from around the corner of the hallway leading to the kid’s area.</p>
<p>“Are you gonna go say sorry to them?”</p>
<p>“No,” Habit said, “Trencil assured me that I was not the problem.”</p>
<p>“Yeah...I didn’t think so.” Habit sighed. “Still haven’t asked about me?”</p>
<p>“I have a feeling they will tomorrow, if what you told me is true.” The two of them stood in silence for a moment. “You know dear, I’m sure that-”</p>
<p>“I didn’t rush your progress. Don’t rush mine.” Habit shut his mouth and nodded. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to snap. Just...give me a little time.”</p>
<p>“Of course. I love you ‘Mal.”</p>
<p>“I love you too big guy.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid had been dragged through the dirt a couple times when the kids had managed to pull them off Gillis, but it had only made them laugh. The six of them played for hours, until the sun was beginning to set. </p>
<p>“Alright short stacks, curfews about here, so I think you’d better get off to bed,” Gillis said, letting Flower Kid down from off his back. Putunia groaned.</p>
<p>“But I wanna stay up late!” She whined.</p>
<p>“Anarchy,” Tim Tam said, nodding.</p>
<p>“Poor little kids,” Nat teased. “Actually have to go to sleep when curfew hits!” Putunia punched him in the arm, but he just laughed. “Oh c’mon Tunes, we all know your dads actually let you stay up, even though you’re not supposed to.”</p>
<p>“Not lately,” Tim Tam said. </p>
<p>“Yeah! Dad’s been acting really weird about bed time lately,” Putunia said. “He’s making us go to sleep at curfew...and I caught him sneaking out of the room last night!” Gillis frowned, and Flower Kid felt their stomach flip.</p>
<p>“I’m sure Kamal has his reasons,” Gillis said. Flower Kid nodded absentmindedly. </p>
<p>Kamal was sneaking out at night to watch them while they slept. He had been there that morning to wake them up. He was the one that carried them to bed when they fell asleep after their day with Parsley. He was the one who had sung outside their doorway, and he was the one who had checked on them their first night here. It was...a little creepy. And a little sweet. Why wasn’t he talking to them in the day?</p>
<p>“I just wish he’d tell us what’s wrong! I don’t like when Dad and Papa keep secrets,” Putunia said, muttering the last part. Flower Kid decided it was best to not bring up that it had something to do with them.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you ask him?” Nat said. All eyes turned to him. “I used to not like stuff my dad did, so I started asking him why he did it. When he explained why, sometimes it made sense, so I would stop being mad about him doing it. And sometimes it didn’t make sense, so he would try to stop.” Putunia and Tim Tam nodded.</p>
<p>“Still...anarchy,” Tim Tam commented. Nat laughed. </p>
<p>“Absolutely,” he said. </p>
<p>“Little ones!” Habit called into the recreation area. “It is beddy time!” Putunia and Tim Tam groaned, but they rushed off to the apartments. “Flower Child?” Flower Kid turned to Habit and gave him a big grin. “I am glad you are feeling better.”</p>
<p>“Is Dad still here?” Nat asked.</p>
<p>“Yes! He was just asking for you!” Habit said. Nat nodded.</p>
<p>“Okay. Trevor?” He turned to Trevor, who jerked upright. “I’ll meet you in your room, okay?” </p>
<p>“Y-yeah! Sure!” Trevor said. Nat looked at him suspiciously, but just punched his arm and ran off to the courtyard. “Uh...Gillis, can I talk to Flower Sleuth?” Gillis raised an eyebrow, but he nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess. Randy will be here soon anyways,” he said. “Have fun dorks!” He jogged off towards the courtyard. Trevor took a deep breath, and Flower Kid turned to him.</p>
<p>“Okay...Nat is spending the night in my room for a sleepover tonight. I’m gonna ask him about the whole QPR thing,” Trevor said. Flower Kid grinned and hugged him tightly. “Whoa! Hey! It’s...it’s not that big a deal!” They squeezed him three times, and he chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I love you too.” Flower Kid pulled away enough to grin at him. “I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow okay? We won’t have class, so I can hang out all day, if you’d want.” Flower Kid nodded. “Sick!”</p>
<p>“Trevor! Are you coming?” Nat called. Trevor jumped. </p>
<p>“Yeah! Just a sec!” He called back. Trevor turned to Flower Kid one last time. “Wish me luck?”</p>
<p>“It’s going to go great, don’t worry! You guys are good together!” They signed. Trevor grinned.</p>
<p>“Thanks! I’ll see you tomorrow!” He said as he ran off. Flower Kid waved, before sighing quietly.</p>
<p>It was a long day, and they were tired, but they didn’t want to sleep. They wanted to stay up so they could talk to Kamal. Why hadn’t he talked to them yet? He could just approach them, they would love to see him! They hadn’t seen him in the three years since the Habitat had broken up the first time. Not even a glance of him around town. They’d bumped into pretty much everyone else from the Habitat, but never Kamal. They’d have to ask Habit about him tomorrow…</p>
<p>They wandered into the courtyard, and grinned at what they saw. Randy came through the doors, looking exhausted, and Gillis quickly scooped him up. Randy giggled and kissed Gillis’s cheek. Even if Flower Kid didn’t feel romance themself, they loved seeing their friends happy. They were confident that Randy would like the flower language that they’d helped Gillis pick. They yawned and turned to go back to their room. They ran into Mirphy and Dallas in the stairwell, and gave them both a sleepy wave.</p>
<p>“Hey Flower Child,” Dallas said. He reached out to ruffle their hair. “Getting sleepy?” They nodded. “Yeah, I figured. I still dunno how you just conk out like that, especially since you seem to be able to do it any time after noon.” Flower Kid shrugged and Mirphy laughed.</p>
<p>“Well, we won’t hold you up,” she said. “See you around Flower Kid! Sleep well!” Mirphy dragged Dallas off, talking excitedly about some project she had. Flower Kid chuckled when Dallas waved, clearly enamored by whatever Mirphy was saying.</p>
<p>They were really glad that the two of them were able to work out their problems. They made good friends. Two artists working together, even if it was different forms of media. They almost dwelled on it more, but they yawned so wide that it made their jaw ache. They climbed the stairs slowly, and collapsed on their bed as soon as they were in their room. They sat up to take off the pull on hoodie, but didn’t bother with changing fully. </p>
<p>They suddenly remembered about Kamal and sat up abruptly.</p>
<p>They had to stay awake to see him! They really wanted to talk to him and see how he was doing. And ask why he was watching them sleep… They had a feeling that they already knew, but they’d like confirmation. They flapped their hands absentmindedly, just doing something to try and stay awake. They rocked back and forth, before they realized that that was making them sleepier. </p>
<p>They stayed up as late as they could, slowly watching the other Habiticians wander into their apartments. Randy and Gillis came up first, Gillis still carrying his boyfriend. Randy gave them a sleepy wave, and they returned it. They watched as Tim Tam snuck out of their room, only for Habit to come along and scoop them up. Flower Kid pretended to be asleep when Habit checked in their room. He let out a sigh of relief, before walking off again. They were even up late enough to hear patrons leaving the lounge and Jimothan closing up. </p>
<p>They eventually couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore. They laid down again and messed with the sheets. They missed their comfort blanket…</p>
<p>The last thing they saw before they fell asleep was a figure peeking into their room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sleep While You Can</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Habit's still recovering....he'll be okay, but he's got some more stuff to work through, the poor guy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“One!”</p>
<p>Blood everywhere, in their mouth, on their clothes, on his lab coat, everywhere.</p>
<p>“Two!”</p>
<p>Gaps in their mouth, expanding and being added.</p>
<p>“Three!”</p>
<p>Struggling, fighting against the restraints.</p>
<p>“Four!”</p>
<p>Fear, eating away at their stomach.</p>
<p>“Five!”</p>
<p>Relief as the pliers moved away, relief at the knowledge that everyone else was safe.</p>
<p>“What a good patient you are! Didn't move for a moment!”</p>
<p>Hadn’t they? Hadn’t they struggled? They were too loopy to know.</p>
<p>“I think you’d best wake up now Flower Brat! There's someone who’d like to see you!”</p>
<p>Flower Kid sat upright fast as a bolt. They looked around their room, and began to take deep breaths. The Habitat was safe now. Surprisingly, it didn’t take them long to calm down. Even though they’d only been here four days, the Habitat was quickly becoming a new home. It wasn’t like they had much of a choice, but at least they could enjoy their new home. </p>
<p>They slowly climbed out of bed, and dug through the box of clothes. They pulled out a baby blue, off the shoulder shirt, and a dark, short jumpsuit. They grabbed the pull on hoodie from the ground and put it on, quickly followed by their rain boots. They stepped out into the hallway and found Habit exiting his room. They watched as he set his forehead against the door and sighed heavily. They slowly approached him, but made sure they were loud enough for him to hear.</p>
<p>“Good morning Flower Child,” he said, still pressed against the door. “You’ll have to excuse me if...if I’m not at my best today.” Flower Kid nodded and gently tapped his shoulder. He turned to look at them, and gave them a small smile. The missing teeth made them feel slightly more at ease.</p>
<p>“I’m not at my best either,” they confessed. Habit nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes I...I could tell.” Flower Kid looked away, feeling guilty. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. We cannot all be at our best all the time.” Habit put a hand on their shoulder and squeezed three times. Flower Kid turned back to him, to return his small smile. “Perhaps a walk through the mountains would clear our heads? Only if you’d like to, of course.” Flower Kid nodded. “Excellent! I will have to ask Randy to watch the kids though...he is always awake so early!”</p>
<p>Habit began to walk down the stairs, and Flower Kid followed closely behind. You’d think that after their dream they would want to be as far from Habit as possible, but they wanted nothing more than to be close to him. Seeing how he had changed and become better reminded them that the Habitat (at least the first one) was far behind them, and they never had to fear for their teeth again.</p>
<p>Randy was sitting at one of the desks under the tree in the old carnival. He smiled when he saw the two of them approaching. “Good morning Randy! I was wondering if you could look after ‘Nia and Timmy Tammy if they wake up before I am back? Kamal had a long night of...paperwork, and is sleeping in this morning.” Randy nodded. “Is...is everything alright?”</p>
<p>Randy pulled out an extra scrap of paper and scribbled on it. Habit picked it up and read it quickly. “Ah! Yes! Vocal rest! I forgot that your musical is coming up...did you overdo at rehearsal?” Randy nodded. “That is alright! I am sure the kids will go easy on you!” Randy gave Habit an unamused look, and Flower Kid giggled. “You...you’re right. Still, you are capable, I’m sure it will be alright!” Randy nodded and gave the two of them a thumbs up. “Thank you!” Flower Kid waved to Randy as Habit led them away.</p>
<p>“What musical are they doing?” Flower Kid signed. Habit looked thoughtful for a moment.</p>
<p>“I believe….it is Titanic,” Habit said. Flower Kid nodded.</p>
<p>“Real cheerful,” they signed, and Habit laughed.</p>
<p>“Yes, it certainly is,” he replied sarcastically. “Still...I might take the kids. I think they are old enough for something like that.” Flower Kid nodded. “Putunia is ten and Tim Tam is eleven. I don’t know if you remember that or not…” Flower Kid nodded again. </p>
<p>The two of them walked through the doors to the Habitat and down the gravel road for a little while. There was a hiking path a ways away from the Habitat, and Flower Kid assumed that was where they were going. They felt comfortable following Habit into the woods around the mountains. Which...maybe shouldn’t make sense. But it did, and that’s what mattered. They reached the hiking path, and Habit began to climb up the trail. Flower Kid noticed he was wearing heels, and winced. That would probably lead to a blow out.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Surprisingly, half an hour later, Habit was still walking through the woods just fine. Flower Kid was still marching along behind him, and had almost slipped twice, whereas the doctor seemed to be completely fine, even in his two inch heels. Neither of them had talked the whole time, and it was obvious that Habit had something on his mind. His eyes were downtrodden, and his mouth was shut tightly. Flower Kid was about to ask, when Habit gasped.</p>
<p>“Marv?” Flower Kid rushed to his side, and looked out at the clearing in front of them.</p>
<p>There was a lovely clearing at the end of the path, and there was a large pond in the middle of it. During the spring, it was usually filled with couples and kids, but it was oddly clear. Then again, it was still the morning. Late morning by now, but still morning. The only person in the clearing was Marv, who still looked quite spry for his age...whatever age that would happen to be. He was wearing a pair of rubber bibs and was standing in the middle of the pond, fishing.</p>
<p>“Well! If it ain’t a couple of you whippersnappers from the old Habitat!” He called, waving at them. “Don’t worry about volume! The fish in this here pond love the noise!” Flower Kid chuckled and waved back. They raced down the small hill and came to the edge of the pond. Habit followed at a much more subdued pace. “What’re you two doing out here?”</p>
<p>“Well...just taking a walk. Trying to clear our heads,” Habit said. Flower Kid nodded.</p>
<p>“Interesting...troubles still a thing? I suppose the Habitat really didn’t work…” Flower Kid noticed that Habit seemed to shrink in on himself, although Marv didn’t seem to notice. In fact, he was ignoring them both now. “Got one!” He yelled.</p>
<p>Flower Kid stepped back from the edge of the pond, and watched as Marv began to struggle with reeling in the line. After a good minute of him struggling, he managed to pull the fish from the water. He held it up while it flopped around. “A beaut, ain’t it? A Snappy Lover, I believe…” Habit seemed to shrink in on himself even more. Flower Kid reached up to take his hand, and squeezed it three times. “Well! Tell me all about what’s been happening in town! I’ve been away on fishing trips lately.” Marv stepped out of the pond, before putting the fish back in it.</p>
<p>“Well...I do not know how long you have been gone but...the Habitat has been converted to a...a sort of safe place. For the LGBT community in town,” Habit said. Marv nodded.</p>
<p>“Good on ya son! People like us have got to stick together!” Both Habit and Flower Kid relaxed a little. “Anything else big?”</p>
<p>“I must admit I have not been into town, except for a few errands, in months. Flower Child?” Habit turned to them, and they suddenly felt a little scared.</p>
<p>“Was not allowed to leave the house for months. Do not know,” they signed. Both Habit and Marv looked horrified.</p>
<p>“What do you mean you weren’t allowed to leave the house?” Habit asked. Flower Kid looked away and began to rub at their arm. “Flower Kid, what happened in town? What happened at home?” Flower Kid shook their head. “I...okay. But you will need to tell someone eventually.” They nodded. </p>
<p>“I’m real sorry to hear that kid…” Marv said. “I guess I’ll have to get gossip somewhere else...well, anyhow, would the two of you like a ride back to the Habitat?” Flower Kid perked up and nodded. Habit seemed to think for a moment, before nodding. </p>
<p>“Yes, I would appreciate that! I’m afraid that we cleared out the puddle in the courtyard so...there is no place to fish in the Habitat any longer,” he said. Mar waved him off. </p>
<p>“No worries! I could use a break anyhow. I’ve been out here since last night!” Marv picked up his fishing supplies, and carried them into the woods. Habit and Flower Kid followed behind, glancing at each other every now and then. After a short walk, they found Marv packing his stuff into the back of a Jeep Wrangler. It was a new model, one Flower Kid only recognized because their dad had been obsessed with it when it had come out. They faintly wondered how Marv had afforded it, but were too excited by the fact it was one of the topless ones to worry too much. “Hop in folks!” Marv raced around to the driver's seat. </p>
<p>Habit looked incredibly nervous, but he climbed into the passenger seat. Flower Kid hopped in the backseat, and immediately stood up. “A thrill seeker I see!” Marv said. Flower Kid grinned and nodded. “Well then, I won’t hold back!”</p>
<p>“What do you mean by-” Habit was cut off as Marv gunned it. Habit yelped while Flower Kid laughed at the top of their lungs.</p>
<p>The path for cars was a little cramped, which made for some tight turns. When taken at this speed, they could be dangerous, but Flower Kid didn’t care. They just held on to the bars across the top tightly and laughed and yelled as they sped through the woods. They could faintly hear Marv whooping in excitement, and some scared shouts from Habit, but they were losing themself in the experience of going so fast and feeling the wind whip through their hair. Eventually though, they slowed as they came back to the main, gravel road. Marv was laughing, and Flower Kid was panting slightly as they sat down properly. </p>
<p>“You two are insane…” Habit said, looking like he might throw up. </p>
<p>“A fair assumption!” Marv said. He began making his way back to the Habitat. Habit slowly seemed to relax, but Flower Kid was still bouncing off the walls. They looked out the window and watched as the trees went by. They heard Habit mumbling, and made out the word “brat”. They suddenly felt a wave of guilt and fear and accidentally whimpered. Habit turned to face them.</p>
<p>“What is wrong Flower Child?” He asked. Flower Kid hesitated, before replying.</p>
<p>“What were you saying?” They asked. Habit looked confused for a moment, before his expression turned upset.</p>
<p>“That was out loud?” He asked. Flower Kid nodded. “I am so sorry. I...I still struggle with having rude thoughts and dismantling them. I suppose….I suppose they bled through to real words.” He rubbed at his arm. “I do not mean them. They are...they are left over from when I was in my bad place and would blame others for my own problems. I...I am doing my best to get rid of them. I am sorry.” Flower Kid nodded, but they went back to staring out the window. Habit looked at them for another moment, before turning back to the front. Luckily, Marv didn’t comment.</p>
<p>The rest of the ride to the Habitat was silent, and Flower Kid soon realized they were shoving back tears. The trees were blurry, and they had to keep sniffing. As soon as Marv pulled up to the big double doors, they hopped out of the car and raced back up to their room. They had wanted to be as close to Habit as possible, but now they just wanted to be alone. They heard a few people call after them, but they ignored them all as they ran. </p>
<p>They threw themself down on their bed and sobbed into their pillow. They sobbed for the home they’d left behind, they sobbed for the family they no longer had, they sobbed for the teeth they had lost, they sobbed for the odd dreams of what happened three years ago, they sobbed for their friends and what they had all been through. They didn’t know how long they cried, but they cried until they drifted off again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Why didn’t you wake me?” A quiet voice hissed. Flower Kid blinked their eyes open and looked out the window. It was early afternoon, and they knew it was the same day as their hike with Habit. They felt a lot better after sleeping, and made a note to find Habit and apologize. </p>
<p>“Because you haven’t been getting enough sleep! You have to sleep sometime!” They froze up and strained their ears to hear the conversation going on outside the door.</p>
<p>“I’ll sleep when they’re awake! I can’t let them sleep alone, not when they’ve been having nightmares like that!” That was Kamal. Flower Kid felt a wave of guilt. He was staying up because of their nightmares? They’d been dealing with them for years, they didn’t need him to stress about them.</p>
<p>“Kamal, what about the kids? You’re being selfish! The kids miss you, and they don’t understand why their dad is sneaking out at night. Tim Tam’s parents used to sneak out every night to go drink, you know that! They’re going to get scared you’re doing the same!” Flower Kid curled in on themself more. </p>
<p>Once again, they were the center of an argument.</p>
<p>“I’ve been living with them for two years, they know I care about them and that I’m stable! Besides, I see them for a while after curfew. I saw them for almost two hours last night!”</p>
<p>“Two hours out of twenty four a day? Kamal, you are their father! You need to be there for them!” Habit’s voice was rising in volume, and Kamal shushed him.</p>
<p>“Do you wanna wake them?” He hissed. </p>
<p>“If it means they’ll come talk to you, then yes!” Habit yelled.</p>
<p>Flower Kid heard some frantic footsteps, before a quiet sob. They slowly got out of bed, and slipped on their rain boots again. They were glad they had the sense to take them off before falling into bed. They peeked out of the door to their room, and found Habit standing there, crying. They carefully approached him, still making their presences known. “Hello Flower Child,” he mumbled between sobs. They offered a hand to him, but he shook his head. They nodded and sat on the floor. He slowly sat next to them and cried into his hands.</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Flower Kid signed, although they weren’t sure if he could see them. Somehow, he did. </p>
<p>“How much did you hear?” He asked. Flower Kid rubbed their arm.</p>
<p>“A fair bit...Kamal is watching me sleep because of my nightmares?” Habit nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes...I had figured you would ask about him watching you soon...I wasn’t sure of what I would say, but I suppose you know now,” he said. Flower Kid nodded. “He is not sleeping enough. He has never gotten enough sleep but...he is staying up all night, and then staggering into bed right before you wake up. Even the day you slept through the afternoon, he stayed outside your door the whole night.” Flower Kid swallowed down tears of their own. “Why do you have to go and have the stupid nightmares!” Habit snapped.</p>
<p>“Not my fault!” They signed back quickly. Habit growled and gripped his hair tightly.</p>
<p>“This is all your fault Flower Brat!” He yelled. Flower Kid yelped in fear and quickly defended their face. </p>
<p>There was a long moment of silence, before Habit’s sobs intensified. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...I didn’t mean to, I don’t want to hurt anyone, I’m so sorry,” Habit mumbled, rocking back and forth. Flower Kid quickly uncurled themself and offered a hand again. He took it this time, and they squeezed his hand three times. He only sobbed louder. “You shouldn’t love me! I’m a monster!”</p>
<p>“No,” Flower Kid whispered. Their voice was hoarse, and it was uncomfortable to speak, but they weren’t forcing it, so it was okay. “Not a monster. A kind man who is working to be better. You are good. I love you.” </p>
<p>Habit sobbed louder, and Flower Kid opened their arms. He quickly hugged them, and they had to get on their knees to hug him while he was sitting. They shushed him quietly and held him as tightly as they could. They didn’t know how long they sat there with him, but they let him cry into their shoulder the whole time. Slowly, Habit began to calm down. His sobbing subsided, and he eventually pulled away from the hug. He wiped at his eyes and gave Flower Kid a shaky smile, which they quickly returned.</p>
<p>“Thank you Flower Child...you are a blessing.” Flower Kid waved him off. “I think you are at least.” They giggled and squeezed his hand tightly. “I...would you like to talk about what happened? Why you are having nightmares?” Flower Kid quickly shook their head.</p>
<p>“You just had an episode. I do not want you to have to listen to my problems,” they signed. Habit nodded after a moment.</p>
<p>“That makes sense...well, would you at least let me set you up a therapy appointment? I have a good friend who comes in every now and again, I am sure they would be more than willing to listen to you.” Flower Kid felt their stomach tie in knots.</p>
<p>“Maybe,” they signed, “I don’t know yet.” Habit nodded. They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, before Flower Kid began to sign again. “I think I have decided what to plant in my part of the garden.” Habit perked up at that.</p>
<p>“What would you like?” He asked.</p>
<p>“Impatiens, zinnia, pansies, and marigolds,” they signed. “Preferably green zinnia, and big bounce impatiens. Just to be safe.” Habit nodded along.</p>
<p>“Quite a colorful array!” He said. Flower Kid grinned and nodded. “Anything else?” Flower Kid hesitated, before signing more.</p>
<p>“Teeth lilies? They are fun to grow...but only if that is alright by you.” Habit smiled, although it was a little sad.</p>
<p>“Yes, that is more than fine. You are very good at growing them, and I think they compliment you well,” he said. Flower Kid hugged him again, and he wrapped their small frame in his large arms. “I love you Flower Kid. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Kamal peaked his head out of the door to his and Boris’s room, just enough to watch the two of them. When he saw them pulling away from the hug, and Flower Kid laughing at something Boris had said, he shut the door. He turned to look at the little apartment. </p>
<p>Boris’s lily was sitting on the windowsill, next a beautiful blue lotus. Kamal still had no idea how Boris had gotten that thing to grow when it wasn’t anywhere near water. He still appreciated it though. He walked over to the bookshelf and touched the backs of some of the books. Gardening and trashy romance novellas for Boris and mysteries and….more trashy romance novellas for himself. He took one of the romance ones off the shelf and went to sit on their bed. </p>
<p>He had barely read through the first five paragraphs before he was drifting off. He tried to fight it, since he knew Boris wouldn’t wake him up when Flower Kid went to sleep. He fought it off for another few minutes, before he couldn’t help drifting off to sleep.</p>
<p>His usual, intense guilt set in, but he was too tired to think about it. He knew that he’d dream about the Big Event though. He knew he’d dream about Flower Kid’s face when they had stumbled out of the Habitat, bleeding and crying and begging for help. </p>
<p>He knew that the little sleep he got would be just as restless as Flower Kid’s was.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Alone...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I...really struggled with this chapter. Between a minor amount of burn out, and a general struggle with how to pace the coming parts, it took a little bit, and it isn't my best work. But! Next chapter's gonna be way better, I've got big plans for it!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flower Kid didn’t see or hear anyone outside of their door the whole night, so they assumed that Kamal had actually gotten sleep for once. They woke up the next morning, after a dreamless sleep. They slowly got out of bed, resisting a little bit. Bed was warm and the Habitat was safe. But, after yesterday, they wanted to check on Habit.</p>
<p>They slid out of bed and dug around the box for a new outfit. They pulled on a bright yellow pair of capris and a long sleeved white t-shirt. They pulled their usual hoodie and rain boots on, and stepped out into the hallway. They looked around, but didn’t see anyone. It must be a little later in the morning… they wandered down the stairs and into the courtyard.</p>
<p>They were immediately tackled by someone and almost screamed.</p>
<p>“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Trevor yelled, hugging them tightly. They struggled slightly, before giving up and hugging him back. “I talked to Nat a couple nights ago and we worked it all out! He’s my QPP now, and we’re gonna get to hang out more and do more affection stuff and it’s gonna be awesome!” Flower Kid grinned and squeezed Trevor tightly.</p>
<p>“Geez wolfie, let them breath!” Nat called. He jogged over to them and quickly lifted Trevor off Flower Kid. He threw him over his shoulder, but Trevor didn’t seem to mind. “Seriously though FK, thanks for telling this nerd about the whole thing. I think this is gonna go well.” Flower Kid grinned and offered a thumbs up. Nat grinned back, before taking Trevor and going back into the courtyard.</p>
<p>Flower Kid hopped up and followed them. They looked around the courtyard and saw that there weren’t a lot of people there. Trencil and Habit were off by the tooth lily patch, talking as they brushed the flowers’ teeth. Flower Kid considered offering to help, but it looked like the two of them were talking to each other in a more serious way, so they decided to leave it alone. The only other people in the courtyard were Trevor and Nat, and they were obviously keeping to themselves. </p>
<p>Flower Kid sighed and decided to head into the recreational area. It was bare. They wandered around it, taking everything in. There were no excited kids running around today, just a bunch of (currently) unused equipment. They made their way over to the desks and looked around. There was a hearty stack of paper and plenty of pencils and pens. They grabbed a pen and a small stack of paper and sat down.</p>
<p>They drew, their pen pressing into the paper so hard that they tore right through it on multiple occasions. They drew flowers and teeth and parents and blood and pain. After they finished with each paper, they ripped it up. They sat there all morning, just drawing and ripping up paper and crying.</p>
<p>When noon rolled around, they finally dried their tears and went back to the courtyard. It was a little more full now. Lulia was sitting in the middle of the flowers, while Mirphy took pictures of her. Habit was gone, but Trencil was still there, talking with Nat by his small patch of flowers. There was someone by the doors that they didn’t recognize at first, but their face lit up and they rushed to him.</p>
<p>“Hey kid!” Ronbo said, grinning at them as they raced towards him. He looked different out of his clown get up, but he was definitely still the same guy. They hugged him tightly, and he let out a surprised honk. Still, he hugged them back when he recovered. “It’s good to see you too.”</p>
<p>“How have you been?” Flower Kid signed to him when they stopped hugging him. He smiled.</p>
<p>“Pretty good! Tiff and I have managed to patch things up, we’re friends again! I’ve been taking some time to focus on myself and my career. Got the day off today though!” He said. Flower Kid grinned.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you two are still friends!” They signed. Ronbo grinned and nodded.</p>
<p>“Me too! She’s on a mini tour right now, but she promised we could meet up when she’s back in town.” Flower Kid nodded. They had wondered why they hadn’t seen Tiff yet. “I heard you moved in here a while ago. You enjoying it?” They almost nodded, before deciding to shrug instead. “Oh? What’s up?”</p>
<p>“Lots of baggage,” they signed. “It’s better than home though.” Ronbo nodded.</p>
<p>“Makes sense. I hope it all clears up soon,” he said. Flower Kid nodded as well. “Well...hey, you wanna show me around the garden? I’m sure you’ve been planting up a storm!” Flower Kid chuckled.</p>
<p>“Haven’t planted yet. Habit was going to get me more seeds,” they signed. Ronbo nodded.</p>
<p>“That must be where he was going,” he muttered. Flower Kid gave him a questioning look. “Oh, I ran into him on the way in. He was going into town with his little family. Y’know, Kamal, Putunia, Tim Tam. It looked...a little tense, so I decided to let them go through.” Flower Kid nodded and tried their best to not look as guilty as they felt. Ronbo didn’t comment, so they assumed they had succeeded. “You can still show me around, if you want.” They nodded and took his hand.</p>
<p>Flower Kid led Ronbo around the courtyard, pausing at the patches of flowers to tell him about them. Ronbo listened, but he didn’t seem particularly interested. They didn’t mind, flowers aren’t everyone’s thing. He was at least willing to listen. When they had finished, they let Ronbo go to talk to Lulia. Apparently, they were both close to Tiff, so they had gotten to know each other as well. </p>
<p>Flower Kid looked around and realized that, even though there were plenty of people around, they felt very alone. Lulia and Ronbo were talking, Nat and Trencil were laughing together, Mirphy had moved on to taking pictures of the rec area. They didn’t know where Trevor had gone, and all the other people who lived here were out on the town. They went over to the tooth lilies, and sat in the middle of them. Because Habit and Trencil had been brushing their teeth earlier, all that was left was the lips of the flower, not the lily itself.</p>
<p>They gently lay in the bed of flowers and looked up at the sky. It was a bright blue, still a beautiful spring day. It was mid-afternoon by now, and they weren’t sure how long they had spent doodling. They reached up towards the sky, fighting off tears.</p>
<p>Alone...they felt so alone…</p>
<hr/>
<p>Surprisingly, no one bothered them while they lay in the courtyard for the rest of the afternoon. They heard and saw people come and go, but no one came over to check on them or to talk. They liked it that way, they just needed to work through their thoughts today. When the sun was in perfect position for duskflowers to bloom, the front doors of the Habitat opened.</p>
<p>“Chicken Tender?” They sat upright, and gave Parsley a shaky smile. Ollie was with him, and the two of them were carrying a couple thick books. “Everything alright?” They gave him a so-so hand gesture.</p>
<p>“You wanna talk about it?” Ollie asked. He looked concerned, and Flower Kid’s smile became more genuine. It was so clear he cared, even though he barely knew them. Still, they shook their head. “Well...are you still down to join D&amp;D tonight?” They grinned and hopped up, nodding vigorously. Ollie and Parsley laughed. </p>
<p>“We came early to help you set up your character sheet!” Parsley said. Ollie passed by them both to walk into the rec area. Parsley watched him go for a minute, before bumped Flower Kid’s shoulder with his own. </p>
<p>“Get help soon kid. We’re all a little worried about you,” he said. Flower Kid nodded absentmindedly, purposefully trying not to think about it. They followed Parsley into the red area, and helped him and Ollie shove some desks together.</p>
<p>Half an hour later, Flower Kid had a human ranger ready to go, and a couple others had joined them. Trevor, with his dark elf rogue, was giving Flower Kid tips since he’d played a ranger in his last campaign. Parsley had shown Flower Kid his character sheet for his halfling bard while they were making their own, and they couldn’t help giggling when they thought about it. Somehow, thinking of Parsley as a bard was really funny to them. They seemed to be waiting on one more, and Flower Kid thought they knew who when Putunia came racing over to them.</p>
<p>“Dad says he can’t play tonight,” she said. “He and Papa are gonna have...have ‘a talk’.” She looked really afraid, but Parsley quickly grabbed her and set her in his lap.</p>
<p>“That’s okay. I think we can make it through without our muscle for one night,” he said. He kissed the top of Putunia’s head as she settled into him a little more. “You wanna watch ‘Nia?”</p>
<p>“Yes please!” She said.</p>
<p>“Sounds good to me!” Ollie said. “Everyone ready?”</p>
<p>“Bring it olive boy!” Trevor said, and Parsley blushed. Flower Kid grinned and nodded.</p>
<p>“Alright! When we last left off, your party had just escaped the Cave of Gelatinous Fear!” </p>
<p>After the rest of the party meeting up with Flower Kid’s ranger, the three of them set off to try and save the princess. Flower Kid thought it was awfully cliche, but they also saw a certain gleam in Ollie’s eyes whenever he talked about her. They got the feeling that there was a lot more to this princess than they were being told about. The party of three had a few close calls, which Parsley and Trevor assured Flower Kid wouldn’t have happened if Kamal had been there. He had a dragonborn barbarian, and was the muscle of the group. Flower Kid tried not to think about what he and Habit were talking about. </p>
<p>It wasn’t that hard to guess.</p>
<p>“Alright you guys, I think that’s a wrap! I mean, you’re pretty much outside of the labyrinth and I don’t wanna go too far without Kamal,” Ollie said. Trevor and Parsley nodded, before they all turned to Flower Kid. “Did you have fun, oh valiant ranger?” They grinned and nodded. “Excellent!”</p>
<p>“It’s even more fun with Randy here, but he can’t play during his show’s rehearsal time,” Trevor said. Parsley shifted slightly, and Putunia let out a small whine of protest. She had fallen asleep about halfway through the session, and was mumbling in her sleep. “Wow...she really conked out, huh?”</p>
<p>“I guess ten isn’t too old to have a bedtime after all…” Parsley muttered. He lifted her gently. “I’m gonna take her back to her room. I’ll be right back Ollie, don’t leave without me.” Ollie nodded as Parsley. Trevor stretched and glanced at the sky.</p>
<p>“It’s a bit past curfew...I guess Habit’s not enforcing it as much today,” he said. </p>
<p>“Probably wrapped up with Kamal,” Flower Kid signed. Trevor nodded.</p>
<p>“Well...I’d better get to bed. It was really fun to have you Flower Sleuth! You should play with us next Sunday too!” He said. He hugged Flower Kid quickly, before racing off for the stairs. Flower Kid waved to him, before turning to Ollie. They almost signed to him, before remembering that he didn’t understand sign language.</p>
<p>“Uh...so, Parsley told me about...about how the first time you guys were all here, people would just ask you yes or no questions, right?” He asked. Flower Kid nodded. “Cool! So uh...I guess we’ll do that for now, yeah? I’ll work on learning sign, and then we can talk fully!” Flower Kid grinned. “Awesome! So, uh, did you have fun?” They nodded vigorously, and Ollie laughed. “I’m glad! You’re really good so far! I really liked the way you used your body language to role play! Even if Parse had to translate, I could always tell your emotions! I guess that applies to real life too but...well, I notice roleplay stuff more than real life tone and stuff.” He chuckled awkwardly, and Flower Kid reached out to pat his hand. He bit his lip, before looking back at them. “Can I ask a more personal question?” They nodded, but their stomach flipped.</p>
<p>“When you are Parse dropped by the cafe...you were teasing him about a crush, right?” Ollie asked. Flower Kid lit up and nodded. Ollie chuckled, but it was humorless. “It’s...it’s that Martin guy, right?” Flower Kid just gaped at Ollie for a second. “I mean! I don’t really know what the deal with them is, but Parsley talks about him sometimes, and sometimes he’ll talk about when they met and how great it was but...sometimes he talks about how he hates him, so I figure Martin’s straight and Parse is upset about that, and-”</p>
<p>Flower Kid pulled on Ollie’s arm to get him to stop, and made him look at them. They shook their head, before putting a hand over their heart, and then pressing that hand to Ollie’s heart. Ollie just stared at them for a moment, before turning bright red. “Oh…” he muttered. Flower Kid just smiled gently. “That’s...oh...wow…” Ollie laughed and put a hand on his temple. “You’re serious?” Flower Kid nodded.</p>
<p>“Olive! Are you coming?” The two of them turned to the iron gates of the rec area, and saw Parsley standing there. He was waving Ollie down. Ollie turned to Flower Kid.</p>
<p>“Kid, you’re the best. I’ll talk to him tonight. I’m not letting him get away,” he said. Flower Kid grinned and began to bounce in their chair. “Have a good night. And thank you!” Ollie hugged them tightly, before jogging over to Parsley. </p>
<p>Flower Kid waved at the two of them as they left through the courtyard. They sat in the rec area for another little while, just looking up at the tree as the last bits of the sunlight disappeared. Slowly, they stood, and began to make their way back to their apartment. No one else was out. Everyone had either gone home, or were in their apartment. They climbed the stairs, feeling alone again, but in a good way this time. They reached their room, but found a little note taped to the wall next to the doorway.</p>
<p>“Cum two my ro-om :-)” it read. Flower Kid chuckled and carefully went to Habit and Kamal’s room. They carefully opened the door and peeked inside. </p>
<p>The two of them were lying in bed, Kamal fast asleep, but Habit still awake. Habit had an arm wrapped around Kamal, and Kamal was nuzzled against his chest. Habit smiled at Flower Kid when he saw them and they smiled back. Habit pointed to Kamal, and Flower Kid smiled.</p>
<p>“Sleeping,” they signed. “That’s good.” Habit nodded. “I love you both. Good night.”</p>
<p>“We love you too,” Habit signed back. He waved as Flower Kid shut the door and went back to their room. </p>
<p>They pulled off their boots and hoodie, before climbing into bed. They stared out the window of their room and smiled slightly. Things were going okay. Sure, today hadn’t been the best, but it wasn’t the worst. They could deal with a little ennui. They could deal with feeling alone. As long as the people that they cared about were okay, they’d be fine.</p>
<p>They couldn’t help doubting that thought as they fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Marigolds and Flashbacks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OK THE MORE VIOLENT TAGS ARE COMING INTO PLAY! Lots of mentions of child abuse and graphic descriptions of violence in this chapter! Please please please be careful! Additionally, please please give me feedback on the way I wrote the flashback in this chapter. I did my research, but I still could've messed up somehow, and I want to be sure that I won't for future projects. If something is drastically wrong, please let me know and I will change it. Thank you so much to everyone who's commented or left kudos so far! We're getting closer to the end!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The doctors said you’d be over this shit by the time you were a teen! Yet here you are, a full grown adult, and still as useless as the day you were born!” Flower Kid whimpered and tried to make themself as small as possible. “Say something you piece of shit!” A chair hit the wall next to them and they screamed. “Say something!”</p>
<p>“Stop!” They screamed. “Please!”</p>
<p>“Pathetic. You’re fucking pathetic.” They sat in the corner of the kitchen and cried. They thought he had left, but they felt a hand gripping their arm and pulling them upright. “If you can’t add anything to society, why should I even let you be in it?” They struggled and screamed as he dragged them up the stairs. </p>
<p>They were shoved violently into their room, making them fall and knocking the wind out of them. The door to their room slammed shut, and the lock clicked. They lay on the floor in disbelief for a moment, before scrambling to their feet. They tried the knob, even though they knew it was useless. They tried to pry the door open, they threw their weight against it, they even tried to twist the screws on the knob off with their nails. </p>
<p>They were trapped.</p>
<p>Flower Kid woke up when their head hit the floor. They hissed in pain and sat up slowly. They had fallen out of bed, probably from thrashing around. They rubbed the back of their head and carefully stood up. Their knees felt shaky. </p>
<p>The other dreams they’d had while here hadn’t been real. Sure, they had been based on real things, but they weren’t real. That one was. Their knees and hands were shaking, and they quickly had to grip the bed frame to not fall over. They stood and tried to take even breaths. It went better than they thought it would, and they were, slowly, able to let go of the bed. They took shaky steps over to the box of clothes.</p>
<p>Habit had gotten their seeds, hadn’t he? Better not wear anything nice… They pulled on a simple brown shirt and a pair of denim overalls. They had grown rather attached to the hoodie, so they left it where it was. They pulled on their rain boots, and stood in the center of their room for a moment.</p>
<p>Their hands were still shaking, and they felt a little unsteady. But the bright atmosphere of the Habitat, Dallas’s painting, and the knowledge that they were away from...from him, calmed them. They slowly walked into the hallway and looked around. They didn’t see anyone, and that scared them. They quickly scrambled down the stairs and into the courtyard, and looked around frantically. </p>
<p>Randy was sitting at the desks in the rec area, and Gillis was sitting with him. Questionette and Borbra were dancing in the middle of the garden, giggling together. Trencil was leaning against the side of the lounge, talking to Jimothan in hushed tones, both of them blushing. And Habit was making his way out of the boiler room hallway. They sighed in relief and entered the courtyard properly. </p>
<p>“Good morning Flower Child!” Habit called, jogging over to them. They grinned at him and shoved their shaking hands in their pockets. Habit’s face fell. “Ah, do you not want to talk?” They shook their head. “You...do want to talk?” They nodded. “Then why are you hiding your hands?” They frowned and shook their head again. “Flower Child, are you alright?” They nodded. “Well...okay…” Habit tried to appear happier, but it didn’t really reach his eyes. “I got you your seeds yesterday! The gardening tools are in the corner where Trencil found his shadow. You are all ready to plant whenever you’d like!” Flower Kid grinned.</p>
<p>They did remove their hands from their pockets to take the seed packets from Habit, but they willed their hands to not shake. They slid the seeds in their pockets and gave Habit a thumbs up. He smiled at them, but it still didn’t meet his eyes. “Oh! Kamal slept through the night last night!” He said, genuinely enthusiastic now. Flower Kid grinned and jumped up and down a couple times. “He woke up early to go to the office, since we have both fallen behind on paperwork. I will be there most of the day, but you are welcome to come and grab me to see what you have planted!” Flower Kid giggled.</p>
<p>“They’re just seeds right now! They will not look any different!” They signed. Habit chuckled. </p>
<p>“I know that, but I still want to see!” Flower Kid chuckled, but nodded. “Thank you! I will leave you to it then!” Habit scooped them up in a quick hug, before going back down the hallway that led to the old boiler room. </p>
<p>Flower Kid took the seed packet for marigolds out of their pocket and looked it over. Marigolds...why had they asked for marigolds? They sighed and shoved it back in their pocket. They didn’t have to plant right away. They could do what they wanted for now. </p>
<p>“Fleur Child!” Questionette called. She gestured for them to join her and Borbra, who was laughing rather loudly. Flower Kid grinned and rushed over to the two of them.</p>
<p>“We can make a romantic slow dance work for three!” Borbra said. Flower Kid chuckled, and let themself be scooped up in Borbra’s arms. Questionette laughed as the two of them began to spin around. </p>
<p>It sort of evolved into the three of them dancing on their own. Which made more sense, considering there was no music playing for them to keep time anyhow. The three of them weaved between the flower beds, spinning and hopping and giggling. Flower Kid eventually came to a stop, feeling a little dizzy from all the spinning. Questionette came to stand beside them, and they leaned against each other slightly.</p>
<p>“You...you are alright, yes?” She asked, gently laying a hand on their shoulder. They turned to look at her, and were taken aback by her soft but concerned expression. Their mouth suddenly felt dry. </p>
<p>They wanted so badly to tell her that they weren’t fine, that they needed help. They wanted so badly to tell her that they were having night terrors about what had happened to them. They wanted so badly to ask to be held. They wanted so badly to ask to be taken somewhere far far away from their father.</p>
<p>But they didn’t want to be a burden.</p>
<p>So they just nodded.</p>
<p>Questionette frowned, but she didn’t push. “If you are sure...but we are all here for you. Remember that.” Flower Kid nodded, and took her hand to squeeze it. Borbra came over to the two of them, grinning widely. Questionette smiled and let Borbra pick her up. </p>
<p>“I think it’s time for the two of us to get going!” Borbra said. Flower Kid pouted, which made both women laugh. “We’ll be back to visit soon! We just gotta go open the bakery for the afternoon!”</p>
<p>“Bakery?” Flower Kid signed. Borbra grinned.</p>
<p>“Yeah! We opened a bakery downtown! Perfect for bread and pastries! And bird seed, since you aren’t supposed to feed birds bread.” Flower Kid nodded and grinned at them.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you two work somewhere that makes you happy!” They signed. The two women grinned.</p>
<p>“Thanks kid!” Borbra said. “We really do gotta get going though! We’ll see you around?” Flower Kid nodded. “Nice! Bye kiddo!”</p>
<p>“Au revoir!” Questionette called as the two of them exited the Habitat. Flower Kid waved at them.</p>
<p>They looked around the courtyard, and found that they were alone in it. Randy and Gillis were still in the rec area, but Trencil and Jimothan were gone. They silently hoped that they were somewhere talking out their emotions, but they also kind of doubted that. They walked over to their plot of land, looking it over. They’d already planned out how they were going to plant everything, they just...had to jump in and do it. They took a deep breath, before going over to the corner where Habit kept the gardening supplies. They pulled out a spade and held it tightly. They were gripping it so tightly that their knuckles turned white. They pulled the marigold seeds from their pocket and held the bag delicately, as if it might catch fire in their grip.</p>
<p>They tore open the top, and knelt down besides their plot of land. They dug a hole and put a few seeds in it, before covering the hole again. They smiled shakily when they buried the first few seeds. They could do this. They could plant flowers, they could plant their marigolds. </p>
<p>“Marigolds?” They sat up straight and gasped loudly. They watched as the Habitat faded away, and they were sitting in the greenhouse behind their house. “Fucking marigolds? You think you have the goddamn right to plant those? Her favorite flowers?” </p>
<p>Flower Kid tried to stand and run, but their legs were too shaky. He gripped their arm and began to beat them, especially their face, although he wasn’t picky. They struggled and screamed, and looked around. Their greenhouse, their house, this wasn’t right. Hadn’t they just been somewhere else? They screamed extra loud when he shoved them down and began to kick at their side.</p>
<p>“No!” They yelled. “No, no, no!” </p>
<p>“Oh god, what do we do?”</p>
<p>“Call an ambulance!”</p>
<p>On the faint edge of their mind, they could hear other familiar voices. Kinder voices, ones that would help them. They reached towards those voices, but he just kicked them down. They screamed and sobbed, listening for any semblance of those kind voices. </p>
<p>“Flower Kid, listen to me. Can you hear me?” They tried to nod, but he was pulling them up by their hair and it was hard to move their head. “You’re gonna be okay kid. You’re gonna be okay, we’re gonna get you somewhere safe.” </p>
<p>Suddenly, the voice was gone. All they felt was pain as he slammed their face into one of the metal bars of the greenhouse walls. They screamed and struggled, but he wouldn’t stop. They tried to call for help, for their friends, for those kind voices, but their own voice was stuck in their throat. All they felt was pain, and all they could hear was his shouting. They couldn’t make out a word of it, but they could hear the loud noises in their head.</p>
<p>And then...it was black.</p><hr/>
<p>“When did the doctors say they’d wake up?” Flower Kid groaned and tried to open their eyes. Their eyelids felt heavy and they were having trouble fully waking up. They heard rushed footsteps, and someone took their hand to squeeze it. “Wake up Flower Kid, c’mon, wake up…” the voice was thick with tears, and they forced their eyes open.</p>
<p>Kamal and Habit were standing over them, both of them crying. Kamal was gripping their hand tightly. They smiled at the two of them, small and sad and shaky, but there. Both of them completely broke down. Habit began to sob and choke on apologies, and Kamal squeezed their hand so tightly they felt like it was going to come off in his hand.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-” Habit choked out, before more sobs racked his body. Kamal just squeezed their hand and leaned over to kiss their forehead.</p>
<p>“I’m here now, I’m going to be here. I love you Flower Kid. I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Flower Kid just smiled at them both.</p>
<p>“Sleepy…” they mumbled. Kamal sniffed quietly.</p>
<p>“You...you can rest more. As long as...as long as you feel okay in every other way,” he said. They nodded. “You’re positive?” They nodded again. “Get some rest, Flower Shmoe. We’ll be here when you wake up, promise.” They nodded and squeezed Kamal’s hand back, weakly. </p>
<p>They were beginning to drift off when they felt Kamal let go of their hand. They heard him whispering to Habit, they heard doctors come and go. They heard the steady beeping of their heart monitor. They were trapped somewhere between being awake and asleep, but no one tried to wake them, so they figured it must not be a bad thing.</p>
<p>They didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but the next time they woke up, it was dark outside the window in their hospital room. Only Kamal was there, and he was staring at them, tapping his fingers against his knees. They sat up slightly and turned to give him a small wave.</p>
<p>“Flower Kid,” he breathed, before coming over to hold them gently. They wrapped their arms around his waist, and he cradled their head against his chest. “You’re awake. You’re awake for real. Oh god kid, I’m so sorry.” They didn’t want to move to sign, not yet. Kamal kissed the top of their head, and they sobbed quietly. “Shh, you’re safe. You’re safe with me. You’re safe.” They nodded and sobbed again, more violently. Kamal held them and shushed them quietly. </p>
<p>They didn’t know how long the two of them stayed like that, but eventually they pulled away. “Feeling any better?” Kamal asked. They nodded. “Do...do you want to tell me what happened?”</p>
<p>“Flashback. With Dad. Bad stuff,” they said. </p>
<p>“You can sign, it’s okay,” Kamal said. They shook their head.</p>
<p>“You’re safe.” Kamal nodded, and it looked like he was ready to cry again. “I guess...I guess it was really bad.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it was. You...you were thrashing around and screamed and none of us could get you to respond to what we were saying. The paramedics had to sedate you when they showed up. It was...god Flower Kid, we were terrified.” They nodded, looking down in shame.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” they whispered.</p>
<p>“No.” Kamal’s voice was firm, and he took their hands to squeeze them tightly. “Don’t you dare apologize for something like this. This isn’t your fault. It’s your bastard father’s fault and you haven’t done anything wrong.” The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before Flower Kid chuckled.</p>
<p>“I feel like you’ve had this speech before,” they said. Kamal cracked a smile at that.</p>
<p>“Heh...yeah. I have.”</p>
<p>“Speaking of, where is Habit?”</p>
<p>“I sent him back to the Habitat. Someone needed to be there for the kids, and I...I needed to see you,” Kamal said. “I needed to explain why I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing, why I’ve been so distant and...and...and watching you sleep, which I realize is super creepy and-”</p>
<p>“Why?” Flower Kid asked. Kamal swallowed, and looked down. He mumbled something. “I...I couldn’t hear.”</p>
<p>“I thought you hated me,” Kamal whispered. “I thought you hated me because I sent you into the Big Event alone. You were...god Flower Shmoe, you were only twenty-two, you were way too young to deal with that. Even if you were thirty, you should’ve had to. I was a coward and...and I put you in danger and-”</p>
<p>“Shush,” Flower Kid said. They reached out and took Kamal’s hand to squeeze it. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. I knew what I was getting into. I knew what I was doing. You weren’t a coward. You saved all those people. You waited for me outside the Habitat. You...Kamal, you were amazing. And you didn’t make me go in there. I went because I wanted to, because I wanted to help Habit. You didn’t do anything wrong.”</p>
<p>Kamal sobbed and hugged them tightly. They wrapped their arms around his waist again, and held him while he cried. “I love you,” they whispered. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I love you Kamal. You are a wonderful person and I love you.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Kamal whispered. After a moment, he pulled back and wiped his eyes. “I love you too.” They sat in silence for a few moments. “So...what now?” </p>
<p>“I...I don’t know,” Flower Kid said. “I think...I think I need to go home.”</p>
<p>“What?!?” Kamal yelled. “No! No way in hell! I’m not letting that sicko anywhere near you!”</p>
<p>“No! No, no, not like that!” They said, trying to calm him down. “I need to get my stuff. I need to get the things that comfort me, so I can feel safe again.” Kamal just stared at them.</p>
<p>“But...wouldn’t that house make it so much worse?” He asked. They shrugged.</p>
<p>“I don’t know...but I know I need my comfort things. We can go while he’s at the shop. You...you and Habit can wait outside. It’s not breaking and entering if I still legally live there.” Kamal nodded hesitantly.</p>
<p>“Kid, you’re absolutely insane,” he said. Flower Kid shrugged. “Look if...if you’re really so set on it then...then Boris and I will help. But...sleep on it. Please. I need you to think this through. This is a big decision and I don’t want you to make the wrong one. It could hurt you.” They nodded. “No more speaking?” They nodded again. “Okay, that’s fine. Just...just, please. Sleep on it.”</p>
<p>“Stay?” They signed. Kamal’s expression softened, and he kissed their forehead again.</p>
<p>“For as long as you want.” They smiled and reached for his hand. He pulled the chair over to be beside their bed, and held their hand as they drifted off. They’d need plenty of sleep before tomorrow.</p>
<p>They didn’t need to sleep on it. Their mind was made up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Who's Your Real Family?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'm putting a warning here and in the notes because this chapter is heavy and dark. Warning for abelism, transphobia, abuse, and violence. This chapter is not light hearted, and please please please be careful while reading. I love you all and I want you all to be safe.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm putting a warning here and in the summary because this chapter is heavy and dark. Warning for abelism, transphobia, abuse, and violence. This chapter is not light hearted, and please please please be careful while reading. I love you all and I want you all to be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flower Kid was really glad all of this happened now that they were an adult. They wanted to be able to do all of this without seeing their father, and if they’d been a child, he would’ve had to check them out of the hospital. But they were twenty-five, and they could leave on their own as soon as they dispatched. </p><p>But, luckily, they didn’t have to.</p><p>“How about we go get breakfast before we do this?” Kamal asked. Flower Kid smiled and nodded. They were in the backseat of his car, and Habit was sitting up front while Kamal drove. “How about the diner? That sound good?” They nodded again, before turning their attention to the window.</p><p>The diner was on the outskirts of town, and their dad hated it, so they didn’t need to be scared of running into him. They still were. As brave as they felt about going to get their stuff, they didn’t know what they’d do if they actually saw him. The car ride was silent, all three of them could feel the weight of what was coming. But for right now they were a family getting-</p><p>Flower Kid shook their head violently. They were three friends getting breakfast.</p><p>Never mind that one of them had been watching them sleep like a worried father. Never mind that one of them was the only person they trusted with the memories of the old Habitat. Never mind that they were already so close to their actual children. Never mind that as soon as they were afraid they wanted one of the other of them. Never mind that when they thought of home they thought of the Habitat, or of these two when they thought of family.</p><p>Friends. Getting breakfast.</p><p>“Flower Child?” They jumped and looked at the front seat again. “We’re here...is everything alright?” They smiled at Habit, a genuine one, despite what was coming. He returned it, on a much smaller scale.</p><p>They quickly hopped out of the car and walked into the diner, behind Kamal but ahead of Habit. The three of them sat down, and began looking over the menu. Flower Kid liked that they didn’t have to wait for someone to give them the menu. Was that just a diner thing? They weren’t sure, but they liked it.</p><p>“What’re you guys getting?” Kamal asked. He was obviously trying to cut through the awkward tension. Flower Kid pointed at the waffles, and then the hashbrowns. “Yeah, you’re probably really hungry after yesterday, huh?” They nodded. “What about you hon?” Flower Kid grinned at the pet name, and Habit’s face softened as well.</p><p>“I’m not sure…” he muttered. “I’m...not very hungry.” Kamal nodded.</p><p>“Yeah...I’m not either. We could split something?” Flower Kid tuned out the conversation to just take in the two of them instead.</p><p>Kamal looked different. A lot different. His hair reached his waist now, and he seemed to have abandoned button ups, instead going for loose tanktops, and comfortable looking cotton overalls. He still looked tired and stressed, but in a different way. Not uptight just...exhausted and worried. At the moment, though, he looked at ease as he talked to Habit. </p><p>Habit...didn’t look that different. Same curly hair, same jacket, same tired but enthusiastic eyes. But all his extra teeth were gone, and he was happy, really happy. He was looking at Kamal as though he hung the stars in the sky, and it made Flower Kid smile. The two of them must be good for each other.</p><p>“You folks ready?” Flower Kid jumped and turned to the waitress. </p><p>“I think so!” Habit said. He and Kamal ordered, before eyes turned to them. Flower Kid felt their face grow hot with shame as they had to point at the menu. The waitress gave them an odd look, but Habit took their hand under the table and squeezed it three times. When the waitress left, he and Kamal looked at them apologetically.</p><p>“I am sorry Flower Child, we should have asked so we could order for you,” Habit said. Kamal nodded.</p><p>“At least we know for next time,” he said. Flower Kid nodded. There was a long moment of silence, before Kamal took a deep breath. “So...I really hate to ask this Flower Kid but...I think we need to know a bit more about what we’re getting into.” Flower Kid went rigid. “Your dad’s the problem. What’s he done to you?”</p><p>“You do not have to answer!” Habit said quickly.</p><p>“Actually, yeah, you do,” Kamal said. Habit and Flower Kid both looked at him in shock. “Look kid, if you wait until you’re ready to talk, you’re gonna be waiting for years. And it might not ever come. If we’re gonna walk into that man’s house, we need to know what happened.”</p><p>“You two aren’t going in,” Flower Kid said. Both Habit and Kamal jumped at hearing their voice in public. “That’s illegal. I still technically live there, so I can go in. You two will wait outside. I will get my things and come back out. It’s that easy.” Habit nodded, but Kamal didn’t look satisfied. </p><p>“You didn’t answer my question,” he said.</p><p>“Kamal, is this really the place?” Habit asked. Kamal turned to him, and took his hand.</p><p>“It isn’t the place, but we don’t have a choice cuz it is the time,” he said. Habit nodded. Flower Kid swallowed and kicked their legs slightly, accidentally kicking Habit a couple times. He didn’t complain.</p><p>“He...he hits me a lot. Yells awful things. He blames me for Mom dying, since she died during childbirth. He hates that...that I’m nonbinary. He says I’m…” they took a deep breath, “that I’m a freak of nature and an abomination. He’ll throw things at me, or slam my face into walls. I’m missing six teeth now, he knocked one out when he was slamming my face into the metal bars in our greenhouse at home. That’s what...that’s what I saw yesterday. He’s burned me a few times, and-”</p><p>“Okay, okay, we get the picture, yeah,” Kamal said. Flower Kid blinked back the tears that were fogging their vision, and they saw that Habit was pulling at his hair slightly. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” they whispered.</p><p>“No,” both men said at once, “you have done nothing wrong.”</p><p>“I am upset because I had not stopped this sooner,” Habit said. He slowly moved his hands from his hair, and took one of Kamal’s and one of Flower Kid’s. “You didn’t deserve any of that, none of it. We are...we are not going to let this lie. Once you have your things we are calling the police. I will not let a man like that walk free.” Flower Kid grew pale, but they nodded.</p><p>“I know that’s scary,” Kamal said. “But you can’t just take that kid. You deserve better, and he deserves to get what’s coming to him. It’s weird and scary, cuz he’s your dad, but he’s also a horrible man who needs to be locked up.” Flower Kid nodded. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time though. Breakfast first.” They nodded again.</p><p>The three of them sat in silence for a little while, before their food arrived. Flower Kid gladly took the distraction and began to wolf down their food. Kamal chuckled and told them to slow down before they choked. They just rolled their eyes, although they did slow down. Habit and Kamal split some french toast, and Flower Kid figured the two of them were sweeter than the maple syrup that Habit had drowned it in. Breakfast finished up much faster than they thought it would, and a pit of anxiety formed in their stomach again.</p><p>“You ready to go?” Kamal asked. They nodded, and the three of them slid out of the booth. Flower Kid lingered behind the two of them as Habit paid.</p><p>“You know, you’ve got a cute kid.” All three of them jumped at their waitress’s words. “Might wanna get them to a speech therapist though.”</p><p>“Uh…” Kamal cleared his throat. “Y-yeah! We’ve been looking into it!” He said. Flower Kid turned bright red. “Have a nice day!”</p><p>“You too!” Kamal ushered Habit and Flower Kid out the door quickly.</p><p>“Why didn’t you correct her?” They asked at the same time.</p><p>“T-too much trouble,” Kamal replied. He was bright red, and Flower Kid knew they were as well. Oddly enough, Habit just looked confused, not embarrassed. “Well, uh, we’d better get going.” Flower Kid nodded.</p><p>They felt like there was a brick in their stomach on the drive to their old house. They had the house key in their hand, running their thumb over the ridged part. No one said anything, but they didn’t have to. Flower Kid could feel the tension and fear in the air. They felt it in their own stomach, buzzing in their mind, in their shaking hands. Eventually they pulled up in front of the house.</p><p>“You’re positive you don’t want one of us to come in with you?” Habit asked. Flower Kid took a deep breath, before nodding. “Alright. Be careful little bloom.” They nodded and hopped out of the car. </p><p>They stood in the street for a minute, just looking at the house. It wasn’t particularly large, only two stories, but it seemed to tower over them. The windows were dark and their father’s car was gone, so they knew it was safe. It didn’t feel safe. They walked up the stone stairs that they had always been afraid of falling down. They stood on the porch and just looked at the door. They reached for the doorknob, their hand shaky. They went to unlock the door, but it was already open. That was a red flag, but their brain was so full of fake red flags that they ignored it. It looked the same as it always had. Put together. Like a normal family lived there. They slowly made their way through the living room, and up the stairs. </p><p>Their room was destroyed.</p><p>Posters had been torn, messily, off the walls. The sheets on their bed had been removed and torn to shreds. Half of their stuffed animals were missing heads, and the other half had scorch marks. The door to their closet was off of one hinge, and had a hole through it. Whether it was punched or was made using a tool, they didn’t know. They sobbed quietly as they looked around. </p><p>Their blanket was alright. One corner was just barely browned, but it looked like he had thought better of burning it. Their most important stuffed animal, Little Dude, was safe. The small lizard was completely untouched. They scooped him up, and wrapped the old blanket around their shoulders. They tied it on like a cape, before looking for anything else. Their diary was ripped to shred, and certain pages were half burnt. They had a feeling that some were completely eaten by flames. They looked through the clothes in their closet and found their old raincoat, the one they had worn to the first Habitat. They folded it over their arm. It didn’t fit anymore, but it was a comfort item all the same. </p><p>They looked around their room one last time, before turning to go to the kitchen. They grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began to scribble a note to their father. A note to get out. Habit and Kamal were right, of course they were right, but he was their father. They couldn’t let their father go to jail. With this note he at least had a chance.</p><p>They were just signing it, when the front door creaked open. They rushed into the living room.</p><p>“I said don’t-” They froze in their tracks.</p><p>Their father was standing there, towering over them. </p><p>“You’ve finally come home?” He said. They nodded. “It’s been almost a week. Where were you?” They were silent. “Where the hell were you?” They yelped as he screamed. “Did those two men outside bring you here?” They nodded, afraid of not answering. Their father sighed. “Put that childish shit down, and go tell them that you’re staying here. You’re staying home.” They gulped, and shook their head. “No?”</p><p>“This isn’t home,” they whispered. Their father laughed.</p><p>“Twenty-five years? Twenty-five fucking years and you’ve finally found your fucking voice?” They swallowed and stood a little straighter. </p><p>“Yes. And...and I’m not afraid of you anymore.” He laughed and quickly reached out to them. They yelped and jerked away.</p><p>“Fucking liar. Don’t you dare lie to me again,” he hissed. They nodded. “Now go tell those...those fucking freaks that you’re not going back to whatever hellhole they live in. You’re staying here, and you’re gonna get what’s coming to you.” They sobbed, but nodded. “The more you cry, the more you’re gonna get it.”</p><p>They rushed past him and out the door, so he wouldn’t see their tears. They stopped in front of the passenger door on Kamal’s car. Habit already had the window rolled down. </p><p>“Flower Child! Quick, get in, we don’t have-”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” they whispered. “I’m staying here.”</p><p>“Flower Kid, you can’t! He’ll-”</p><p>“Have fun at the Habitat. Tell the others I’ll miss them.”</p><p>“Flower Kid!”</p><p>“Thank you for trying.” They looked at the two of them, and they looked terrified. “Help me,” they mouthed, before turning away from the car and running back into the house. Their father slapped the back of their head as they ran through the doorway.</p><p>“Now. Go to your room.” They nodded and trudged up the stairs. They left the door open, because they knew they’d get in trouble if they closed it. </p><p>They hoped that he’d go back to the shop, but he didn’t stop moving around downstairs, so it looked like they were trapped in the house with him. They began to cry quietly. They went to the window, and saw that Kamal’s car was gone. They knew that it was probably because they were getting help, but it made them break down. They were abandoned here. They were alone with a monster. </p><p>They cried and wailed and fell to the floor.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up!” Their father yelled up the stairs. They couldn’t, they couldn’t stop. They sobbed and screamed and slammed their fists against the floor.</p><p>It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair! They had finally gotten a happy place, a home, a family. And he had ripped it away from them. He had stolen everything from them! They didn’t have a childhood because of him, they didn’t have any happiness because of him, they didn’t have fucking anything. They got to their feet, their hand clenched in fists, and growled. They were going to fight him, and they were going to fucking win!</p><p>They looked up, and he was already standing in their doorway.</p><p>“I said shut the fuck up! If you won’t do it, I’ll do it for you!” He stepped into their room, but they put their head down and ran at him at full tilt. </p><p>They managed to knock him into the hallway, but now off his feet. He yelled, and quickly grabbed their hair. They turned their head to bite his arm, and he howled and let go of them. They tried to shove him down the stairs, hoping that would stop him, but he had his footing firm. He grabbed their shoulders and slammed them against the wall. He began to slam them into it, over and over. They struggled and screamed and got their hands free enough to put them against the wall so their face couldn't hit it again.</p><p>“Fucking brat!” He yelled. He quickly wrapped an arm around their neck in a headlock. They gasped for air and tried to throw him off, but he had them in a tight grip. “Shut the fuck up! I’ll put you to sleep if I fucking have to!”</p><p>They struggled and gasped for breath. Their hearing was growing fuzzy as he continued to shout things at them. The edges of their vision grew black. They threw a quick prayer to whatever deity might be out there, and mentally apologized to Habit and Kamal.</p><p>And then they were out like a light.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. You're Safe Now Flower Kid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Next to last chapter folks! Also, today is the official third week mark since I started this fic, so this didn't take me long to write, but wow am I proud of it! I hope y'all enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pain...all they felt was pain. Around their throat mostly, but everywhere. Their whole body ached. They shifted, trying to get comfortable. Had they fallen down the stairs? It hurt so bad that it felt like they had fallen from the terrace. Could someone even survive that?</p>
<p>They blearily opened their eyes and looked for Dallas’s painting. It wasn’t there. Neither was their little box with their clothes. But...something was in their hand. They ran their thumb gently over the fabric. It was comforting...their comfort blanket. Someone had draped it over them. They smiled slightly. That meant that it had been a success with their old house. Their dad hadn’t caught them. They drifted off in what they thought was the Habitat, blissfully unaware for just a little while longer.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“I don’t care if it’s illegal! I’m going in there!” Habit whimpered and shied away from Kamal. He knew Kamal wasn’t yelling at him, he knew that. But with everything that had already happened today, Kamal yelling was the last thing he needed. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry sir, this is already risky considering we don’t have a warrant,” the officer said. </p>
<p>“Someone is in severe danger, and you’re just going to sit back and do nothing?” Kamal roared.</p>
<p>“That’s not what I said,” the officer replied. “We are going to go in and make sure that...that this ‘Flower Kid’ is safe. But I cannot allow you in there. I’m not even sure I can do much without a legal name.”</p>
<p>Habit blurted it out without thinking. Both Kamal and the officer's eyes turned to him. “Oh...that changes some things…”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Kamal asked. </p>
<p>“We’ve received noise complaints from the neighbors about that house. Things like an older man shouting, and the occasional scream.”</p>
<p>“And you never looked into it?!?” Kamal yelled. Habit didn’t flinch at that one, he was about ready to join in.</p>
<p>“The complaints were so few and far between that it wasn’t worth it.”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t worth it...to look into shouting...and screaming...from a family home?” Kamal asked, clearly in disbelief. The officer sighed.</p>
<p>“Look man, I just run the desk, I don’t make those decisions,” he said.</p>
<p>“I’m not changing my opinion on this,” Kamal said. “Or on cops,” he added in a mutter. </p>
<p>“I’ll go take this to my boss. And I’ll see what I can do about the two of you being involved.” Kamal and Boris both nodded, before going to sit down. Kamal was still stewing, and Habit was trying not to cry.</p>
<p>“I think…” Habit muttered, suddenly sitting up straighter. “I think it’s time for an old friend.” Kamal looked at him in confusion.</p>
<p>Kamal blinked, and the next thing he knew, Habit wasn’t there. Instead, a tall shadow was pressed against where he had been sitting. Kamal smiled.</p>
<p>“Bear, you’re the smartest person I know,” he whispered. The shadow’s odd face appeared, and winked at him. “Go. Find them. I’ll take care of things here.” The shadow winked again, before it was off like a shot.</p>
<p>It melded with walls of buildings and other shadows, trying it’s best to be inconspicuous. It traveled much faster than a human could. It melded with the shadows of cars to disguise itself as it raced through town. It passed the flower shop and paused for just a moment in front of it. It was still closed. The shadow shook its head (if a shadow could do that) and began to race along the roads again. Eventually it stopped in front of the house that it had been in front of only a few hours before. It slid around the walls of the house, before sliding under the back door.</p>
<p>It froze as it saw a tall man in the kitchen. The man was pacing around, muttering to himself. The shadow quickly moved past him, molding with his own shadow to make itself a path without being seen. It slithered up the stairs, and slid under a door. Wrong room. Another door. Still wrong. Another door.</p>
<p>Flower Kid was lying on the floor, covered by a lime green blanket. The shadow disappeared, and Boris Habit was standing in their room. He almost threw up at the state of it, but managed to keep the bile down.</p>
<p>“Flower Child?” He whispered. They didn’t budge. He felt fear course through his body, and he quickly knelt to gather them in his arms. “Flower Child, please answer me…” They shifted slightly in his hold and groaned. He relaxed but only for a moment. He saw dark bruising around their throat and they had a black eye. He sobbed quietly, and tried to shake them awake. He didn’t want them to sleep if it would hurt them. “Flower Child, please answer.”</p>
<p>Flower Kid coughed weakly and groaned in pain. Habit sobbed and held them close to his chest. “I will not let him hurt you again,” he whispered. “You are going to be safe my lily. I will not let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise. You are safe. You’re safe now my lily.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid woke up slowly. They heard shouting from downstairs, and felt someone gripping them tightly. They looked up at the face of the person holding them, and smiled when they saw it was Habit. He smiled back, even as some of his tears fell onto their chest.</p>
<p>“Hello my lily,” he whispered. They smiled wider. “I have a feeling that the two of us are going to be joined by company here soon. I want you to trust me, and them. They are here to help you.” Flower Kid nodded, and Habit kissed their forehead. “Thank you lily.” He carefully set them down, and when they blinked, he was gone. They whined in protest, before they heard some yelling from the other side of their door.</p>
<p>“Stand away from the door!” They tried to laugh, because they weren’t sure if they could stand at all right now, but the bruising around their throat made it too hard for them to make any noise.</p>
<p>The door to their room burst open, and they saw several police officers. They made a face, but didn’t have the energy to fight them. Besides, Habit had asked them to trust whoever was coming. There was more yelling, and they were soon on a stretcher. They struggled and tried to scream when the paramedics tried to take their blanket. Luckily, they seemed to get the idea, because they draped it over them again. Flower Kid clutched it tightly as they were carried out of the house.</p>
<p>They heard their father screaming and winced away from the noise. Suddenly though, there were comforting voices.</p>
<p>“Hey Flower Shmoe,” Kamal whispered. They reached for him, but he gently put their hand against the stretcher again. “I can’t really touch you, not right now. But I’m here. Boris will be here soon too.”</p>
<p>“Hello lily.” Both of them jumped as Habit appeared behind Kamal. “Thank you for trusting everyone who came along. You did wonderfully.” </p>
<p>“Can we ride in the ambulance?” Kamal asked someone above Flower Kid.</p>
<p>“Are you related?” The person replied. Kamal bit his lip.</p>
<p>“No,” Habit said, “but we are planning to adopt.” Flower Kid didn’t quite register what Habit meant by that. Kamal nodded.</p>
<p>“Please...we need to make sure they’re alright,” he whispered. The person above Flower Kid sighed.</p>
<p>“Get in. But don’t blame me if you end up arrested.” </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Kamal and Habit said at once. </p>
<p>From there, things were sort of a blur. Flower Kid remembered seeing Kamal and Habit over them, both of them crying. They remembered being taken away from the two of them and reaching helplessly for them. They remembered bright lights and poking in uncomfortable places and sharp spikes of pain along with the dull ache they felt the whole time. They remembered drifting in and out of consciousness as people came and went. Habit, Kamal, Putunia, Tim Tam, Parsley, Mirphy, all the Habiticians, all the friends they’d made. </p>
<p>“Family…” they murmured at some point, and they felt a gentle hand in their hair, before someone whispered back.</p>
<p>“Yes lily. We are your family.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Flower Kid woke up slowly, and realized they were in the hospital. Again.</p>
<p>They groaned and sat up slowly. They looked around the room. There was no one waiting for them this time, just a few things on the nightstand next to them. Their comfort blanket, draped over it like a tablecloth, a bouquet of tooth lilies, and a small stack of papers. They reached out and felt the fabric of their blanket, before taking the papers. They looked them over. Most of them were little notes from the Habiticians, especially Habit and Kamal. There was even an unopened letter from Tiff. They set all of the notes aside, wanting to look at them later. As they slipped them onto the night stand though, they noticed the bottom one was very different. A legal form...they pulled it out to look at it and gasped quietly. </p>
<p>Adoption papers. With a small sticky note attached that read “Four thot :-)”. They grinned and clutched it close to their chest. They were just setting it down when a nurse walked into the room.</p>
<p>“You’re awake!” She said. They nodded and smiled at her gently. “That’s excellent! I’ll have to get the doctor in a moment, but I can run a few questions with you first.” They nodded. “Is your throat still too sore to talk?” They nodded again, grateful for the out of talking. And, well, it was true. “That’s alright. We’ll do some yes or no questions, okay?” They chuckled and nodded. </p>
<p>She asked for confirmation on their name, and as much as it disgusted them, they nodded. “That’s good. Do you remember how this happened?” They frowned, but nodded. They didn’t remember the specifics of how they got here, but they knew how they got hurt. The nurse gave them a sympathetic smile. “Can you point to where you’re in pain?” They nodded.</p>
<p>They pointed to their throat, their chest, their right eye, and their right leg. The nurse nodded. “You’re lucky, you didn’t have to go into surgery. We checked for internal bleeding, but found none. It was scary though, you were really close to having it.” They nodded, trying to make themself seem small. “Hey, you didn’t have it! That’s a good thing!” They gave her a small smile. “Were you missing six teeth before this incident?” They nodded. “Alright...I think that’s all I can ask. I’ll get the doctor, I’ll only be a minute.” They nodded and watched her leave.</p>
<p>The doctor asked more questions, and gave them a pen and paper to write with to answer. Most of it seemed to be ways to make sure they didn’t have amnesia. Some were about their pain, or past medical procedures, or allergies. It was annoying and tedious, but they got through it alright. They scribbled a quick “can I see my friends?” on their paper, and the doctor smiled, told them yes, and left. They settled themself a little more comfortably, and waited.</p>
<p>They didn’t have to wait long.</p>
<p>“Flower Kid!” Four people yelled as they came barreling into their room. </p>
<p>Habit was already in tears, and he looked ready to hold them at a moment's notice. Putunia was also crying, and she looked ready to climb into bed with them. Kamal was on the verge of tears, and he was clutching Habit’s hand in a vice tight grip. Tim Tam looked...about the same, but they instantly slotted themself as close to the bed frame as they could get. Flower Kid laughed, before wincing in pain.</p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Habit asked, gently reaching out to tuck their hair behind their ear.</p>
<p>“Bad,” they signed. “But...better. Hard to explain.”</p>
<p>“Emotions are hard...you don’t have to explain them or even understand them right now,” Kamal said. </p>
<p>“Flower Power!” Putunia yelled, reaching for them. “You did it! You beat the bad guy! You never ever have to see him again!” Flower Kid grinned and reached down to ruffle her hair. She giggled, despite the tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Did good,” Tim Tam said. They reached up and pat Flower Kid’s arm. “Don’t do it again.” They chuckled and nodded.</p>
<p>Flower Kid sat back and listened as Putunia and Kamal rambled. Kamal tried to fill them in on everything that had been happening at the Habitat and the people who wanted to talk to them, and Putunia was trying to fill them in on all the adventures she’d been on while they were gone. Habit interjected occasionally, and Tim Tam stayed silent, but kept a hand on Flower Kid’s arm the whole time. Eventually, Flower Kid began to yawn, and Habit gave Kamal an odd look. Kamal nodded.</p>
<p>“Alright you two, I think it’s time to let the flower sleep,” Kamal said. Tim Tam nodded, and Putunia whined.</p>
<p>“Do we have to go?” She asked.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid so Tunes. But we can come visit tomorrow!” Putunia grinned at that and jumped over to stand beside Flower Kid’s bed.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you tomorrow Flower Power! I love you!” She said. Tim Tam nodded. Flower Kid signed a quick “I love you too” to them both, before Kamal ushered them out of the room. Not before he kissed Habit’s cheek and their forehead though. “Hey, why does Papa-” but the door shut before Putunia could finish her question.</p>
<p>“Did...did you see…” Habit seemed to be stumbling over his words. Flower Kid smiled, and took his hands. They nodded, and he gave them a nervous smile. “You can say no. I will not be upset. I know...I know it is too little too late, since you are an adult, and since I can’t fix what happened to you, but- Oh!” Flower Kid hugged him tightly, and shook with silent sobs. “Oh lily, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”</p>
<p>“Yes,” they managed to rasp out. Their voice sounded awful, and it hurt like hell, but they needed to tell him. “I love you.” Habit wrapped his arms around them and began to rock slightly. “Can’t...can’t…”</p>
<p>“Please sign,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to be in pain.” They nodded and pulled away enough to sign to him.</p>
<p>“You can’t be ‘dad’. Not yet. But...but I can be your kid. I’d like to be your kid,” they signed. Habit smiled tearfully at them. </p>
<p>“I’d like you to be too, lily,” he said. They smiled. </p>
<p>“I like that.” Habit tilted his head in a questioning way. “Lily. It has a nice ring to it.” They paused for a moment. “Lily Habit. Not a bad name.” </p>
<p>Habit sobbed and lunged forward to hug them tightly. They returned it, and the two of them sobbed together. Habit kissed the top of their head and murmured comforting things to them as they shook with sobs. </p>
<p>“You are safe Lily,” he whispered. “You will be safe. We are your family now, and we will never let you be hurt again. Never. Not as long as I am alive will you be hurt.” Lily nodded.</p>
<p>Safe. They were finally safe.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Let's See How Far We've Come</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The name of this chapter is a song by Matchbox 20 that makes me really happy and I think works pretty good for this fic! And...wow. We did it folks. This is the first multichapter fic I've ever finished, and I'm so glad it was this one! This isn't the end for the Gay Haven Habitat AU, I have plans for at least two companion fics. I hope you'll stick around for those too! I love you all, and thank you for reading to the end!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So Lily, would you like to tell me anything in particular?”</p>
<p>Lily glanced up from the floor to look at their therapist. Dr. Haddox, a kind man who had taught them so much in the past year. He understood that they couldn’t always make eye contact with him, and he let them transition to sign whenever they needed to. Which was becoming less and less, thanks to him. And some other things.</p>
<p>“It is...almost a year since I left home,” Lily said. Haddox nodded, and gestured for them to continue. “I am...I am proud of myself. I have come a long way. I still have a ways to go.” They shrugged. “Don’t know how to feel about it.”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to know. The feeling will just come, and you deal with it then.” Lily nodded. “I’m proud of you too. When you came to my office the first time, Boris had to interpret for you, and you could barely get through fifteen minutes without crying. And now you can almost always speak to me and you haven’t cried at a session in a month,” Haddox said. Lily smiled, a small one, but it was there. “You’re making amazing progress, and I know you’re strong enough to be able to make more.”</p>
<p>“Thank you…” Lily whispered. “Um...the court case is going good. Shouldn’t be too much longer until I’m officially a Habit!” The thought made them grin widely, showing off the new prosthetic teeth they got a few months ago. Haddox grinned right back.</p>
<p>“That’s wonderful! I’m sure everyone in your family is really excited, huh?” He asked. Lily nodded. “Have there been any complications with it?” </p>
<p>“A few. Incorrectly filed paperwork, or things I signed ‘Lily’ out of habit,” they said. “But it’s all worked out so far. Should be...should be finalized by the end of the month.” They began to bounce their leg.</p>
<p>“Are you nervous?” Lily took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Yeah...I know I shouldn’t be. I’ve been living at the Habitat for a year. I know that Boris loves me. So does Kamal, and ‘Nia, and Tim Tam. And...and everyone at the Habitat. They’re already my family but…”</p>
<p>“Are you afraid it will be like last time?” They nodded, and Haddox gave them a patient smile. “That’s normal. Once we make an association, especially a negative one, it’s hard to break it. The best thing to do is try to make a new, happier association. Maybe you could start mentally instead of out loud? Call Boris your dad in your head, but not out loud. You can work up to it. And...well, if it never comes, I don’t think Boris will be upset. He’s already so excited to have you as a child. It’s all he talked about last week.” They both chuckled at that. “Does that help?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Lily said. “Um...I’m also really anxious about the one year anniversary of coming to the Habitat. I...I’m scared that someone’s going to make a fuss, or try to throw me a party or something. I don’t want that. I just...I’d like to spend the day with my family. Maybe...maybe go to the diner.”</p>
<p>“That’s become a sort of safe space, hasn’t it?” Lily nodded. “Then I think it’s an excellent idea. I know your friends, and I know that they’ll be respectful of your wishes. You just have to communicate with them, that’s all,” Haddox said. “And you’ve gotten much better at that.”</p>
<p>“You’re telling me,” Lily said, and the two of them chuckled again. There was a small moment of silence. “I think...I think I’m happy.” Lily smiled. “I...I know happiness isn’t a constant and...and I know it’s really hard to reach at all but...I’m happy.” They sniffed quietly, holding back tears. “I’m happy…”</p>
<p>“Lily, if it were considered professional, I would hug you right now.” Lily laughed, and wiped at their eyes. “I’m glad you’re happy, and it’s good that you acknowledge that it won’t be constant. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it while it’s here.” They nodded, and Haddox smiled at them. “Is there anything else?” </p>
<p>“I don’t think so…” Lily shrugged. “If I think of anything, I can email you.” Haddox nodded.</p>
<p>“Please do. And we’ll meet up in a couple weeks, okay?” He said. Lily nodded, and stood. “Oh, and Lily?” They tilted their head to the side slightly, in a questioning way. “You’re gonna be okay.” They smiled.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I know.”</p>
<p>Lily set up an appointment with the receptionist, and exited the building. They grinned when they saw Kamal’s car, and snuck up to the driver’s window. Kamal was inside, reading a book. Lily tapped the window, and he jumped. They started to giggle, and he rolled his eyes. He gestured for them to hop in the passenger seat, and they did.</p>
<p>“So, how’d it go?” He asked.</p>
<p>“Good, I guess,” they replied.</p>
<p>“You guess?” Kamal asked, looking at them. “Did something big happen?”</p>
<p>“No, I’ve just got to talk to the Habiticians is all.” Kamal nodded.</p>
<p>“What about?”</p>
<p>“Not doing anything for my anniversary.” Kamal nodded again, but he was smiling slightly.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it kid. Boris and I figured that was the case, so we asked everyone to not do anything, unless you asked them to,” he said. Lily smiled, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He grinned and started the car. “Now, let’s get back to the Habitat! I think ‘Nia and Tim Tam are out of class by now, and they’re gonna want to see their big sibling.” Lily grinned and nodded. </p>
<p>The drive back home was quiet, but Lily didn’t mind. After a therapy appointment, they often felt like they were out of words. Kamal understood, and never pushed them to speak. He did reach out and squeeze their shoulder though, the familiar three squeezes that everyone at the Habitat knew by now. Lily sighed happily, and watched as the trees went by before the Habitat came into view. Kamal parked, and the two of them stepped inside. </p>
<p>“Flower Power!” Lily was immediately knocked over by their little sister tackling them. “You’re back! How was the doctors?” Lily laughed and stood, scooping Putunia up on the way. </p>
<p>“It was good! We talked about adoption stuff!” Putunia squealed. </p>
<p>“You’re gonna really be my sibling! Legally and everything!” She yelled. Flower Kid grinned back.</p>
<p>It...technically wasn’t true. Putunia and Tim Tam had actually been adopted by Kamal, but since he and Boris were together, no one really cared enough to distinguish which parent was legally their guardian. The court minded, of course, and it didn’t look like the two of them would be legally married anytime soon, but it didn’t matter.</p>
<p>“We’re already siblings, silly!” Lily said. They threw Putunia over their shoulder, and she shrieked with laughter. “Now c’mon! I think we need to find Tim Tam!” </p>
<p>“Oh, real quick!” The two of them turned to Kamal. He grinned and kissed both their foreheads. “I love you both.”</p>
<p>“I love you too Dad!” Putunia yelled. Lily grinned. </p>
<p>“I love you too ‘Mal. Thanks again.” Kamal waved them off. </p>
<p>“Go have fun! And make sure Tim Tam isn’t getting into trouble!” He called after them as they raced to the rec area. </p>
<p>It was being heavily used at the moment. Randy was at one desk, writing like a madman. He was working on a new novel, one that he had even gotten an editor interested in. Jerafina, Lulia, and Ollie were up on the stage in the back, practicing some sort of dance. Lulia had been asked to add some more people to her act at Joe’s, and the two of them had been ecstatic. Parsley hnd gushed about how he couldn’t have been prouder of his QPP and boyfriend. Nat and Trevor were also by the desks, pouring over college applications. Lily got the feeling that they were whispering about something else though, a couple of dads that had become their personal project that they swore to finish before they left. </p>
<p>“There!” Putunia yelled, pointing to the gym equipment. Tim Tam was hiding in it, and they appeared to be giggling. Lily grinned and charged for them. They laughed as they ran from their two siblings, and soon a small chase had broken out. Eventually, Lily managed to scoop Tim Tam up, and then they were chasing Putunia. They had just managed to catch her when Boris appeared by the iron gates.</p>
<p>“Lily! May I talk to you for a moment?” He called. Lily quickly kissed both their siblings' foreheads (getting a disgusted sound from both), before they jogged over to Boris. “Can we speak in your room?” They nodded, and followed Boris upstairs.</p>
<p>Their room was very different. The walls were still the same cream color, and Dallas’s painting was still there, but it looked a lot better. They had a nightstand, a chest of drawers, a bookshelf, and a comfortable chair. Boris sat on their bed, and they sat next to him.</p>
<p>“What’s up?” They asked, and Boris grinned.</p>
<p>“We have a date. May seventh. Our final hearing, the official finalization.” Lily gasped and quickly wrapped their arms around Boris. He quickly scooped them up, setting them in his lap and kissing the top of their head. “You’re going to be my child…”</p>
<p>“I already am. We’re just making it official,” Lily said. Boris chuckled and nodded. “Think you can wait another month old man?” Boris laughed.</p>
<p>“I am only forty-one!” He said. Lily giggled. The two of them were quiet for a moment, before Lily spoke up again.</p>
<p>“I never...well, okay, I’ve thanked you a thousand times but...thank you. Again. You...you saved me. You showed me what a family is supposed to be, what a...a father is supposed to be. And..and I know that we both still have bad days, and I’m sorry for all the times I’ve lashed out, and I’m sorry for-”</p>
<p>“Lily, it is okay.” Lily nodded, and realized they were tearing up. They pressed their face into Boris’s chest. “I should be thanking you. None of this would have happened without you. Without you, I would still be a bitter man, obsessed with making everyone smile.” Boris squeezed them gently. “But you helped me learn that I can make people smile one at a time. Starting with the people I care about most.” He kissed the top of their head again. “That’s why I like to see you happy. That’s why I like to see you smile. Because I care about you. Because I love you.” Lily sobbed and Boris shushed them quietly.</p>
<p>“I love you too,” they said, their voice thick with tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” They broke down into loud sobbing, and Boris shushed them quietly, whispering comforting things in Russian.</p>
<p>The two of them sat there, in Lily’s room, in Boris’s Habitat. In both of their home. In a few minutes, Kamal would come and join them, and then Putunia and Tim Tam, and their whole family would be there, holding Lily tightly. They were no longer an afraid, alone flower child.</p>
<p>They were Lily Habit, and they were safe.</p>
<p>And loved.</p>
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